BRITAIN'S FIRST GREAT WHITE: Shark expert claims great white is hunting ...

BRITAIN'S FIRST GREAT WHITE: Shark expert claims great white is hunting in UK waters



A dark shadow was spotted moving in the water, before a loud clanging from the observation tower sent beach-goers fleeing in terror from the Californian sea to the safety of the shore.

Now, after a shark expert has claimed a fearsome great white is prowling the UK shores, could one of the most famous scenes from the 1975 movie Jaws become a reality for British holidaymakers?

The predator has been sighted repeatedly near Hayling Island, Hampshire, and could pose a threat to the public if it gets much closer to the shore.



The claim has been made by a fishing expert who has spent two years tracking the killer off the south coast.

Graeme Pullen told the Mirror: 'Make no mistake, this is the big one.'

'This is surely Britain's first great white, and it'll be coming back this summer. The danger is this shark will eventually stumble across someone in a wetsuit and mistake them for a seal.'

Mr Pullen has spent the last 40 years catching hundreds of species of shark and also tags them for the US National Marine Fisheries Service.

His account has been bolstered by several witnesses who have seen the beast up close.

Commercial skipper Pete Williams said It was huge, the biggest shark I have seen, and it looked like a great white.

'It literally wrenched the net out of my arms and ripped through it like tissue paper.'

Shark fisherman Wayne Comben said: 'I saw a very big dorsal fin. I can't see what else it could have been other than a great white.'

Potential shark attacks have also been linked to a huge increase in the number of dead dolphins washing up on beaches in Cornwall.



Although there have been no confirmed sightings in UK waters, there have been some great white attacks in Europe, and experts believe conditions here would suit the predators.

Mr Williams added: 'Over the years, with warmer temperatures, we've seen different species.

'There's no reason a species like that can't be kicking around, especially now I have seen what I did.'

It comes just days after a blue shark terrified holidaymakers at a packed beach in the popular Spanish resort of Magaluf.

Video footage showed the shark on the sand at Can Pastilla beach on Sunday, surrounded by crowds of holidaymakers either side of an area reserved for lifeguards and animal experts from Palma Aquarium.



The fish, which had a serious wound, was euthanized on Sunday evening because of the nature of its injuries.

It had terrified holidaymakers on three beaches over the weekend as it made its way across the shores of Magaluf.

The beast was carried off the beach by the experts called in to inspect it, helped by lifeguards and local police.

Tourists and locals could be seen following behind, taking pictures on their mobile phones and selfies of themselves by the injured shark, before it was put into a Palma Aquarium emergency rescue vehicle.