At the time this experience took place in the first weeks February 2021 the River Ouse had burst its banks and flooded the low lying areas for many miles around. The River Ouse has a variety of fish species from Trout, Carp, Barbel, Perch, Pike, Grayling, Bullheads, Stone Loach,Tench along with the more common fish species found in UK rivers. The tidal section of the River Ouse also holds Bass, Grey Mullet, Twaite, Sea Trout and flounder. So it’s a pretty well stocked larder. The area had been hit by storm after storm and the spring growth was late that year.
When the Ouse banks broke lots of those fish stocks flooded the fields along with the floodwaters. As the rivers recede and the floods lessen, lots of fish end up trapped in the fields and low lying ponds. I think the creature seen by our witness was taking advantage of this plentiful bounty as would any birds, fox and meat eating scavengers along with us early humans way back in time when we were living in the same circumstances, when we lived wild and free. It’s incredibly hard finding food resources so an easy meal is attractive to all living things.
BBR Witness Steve: “I went back as soon as I finished work and made the video for you to share where I saw this figure. I was driving to work and as I was moving along the route I could see the river and I kept getting glimpses of something in the water in the flooded field. This thing came from behind a hedgerow in the second field and was wading through there and it had very long hair. Even at the cuff area of the arms it was easy to see this had long hair, and you could see the shape of it as it moved. It was not a human. It reminded me of the typical description of an early Woodwose. The hair went over its hands and hung down. It was a charcoal grey colour and it was silhouetted against the water. Looking at it now I’m back here I can see there is nothing I could have mistaken this thing for.
It wasn’t standing still to not be seen so I could have possibly confused a telegraph pole or tree for this thing. It was a living thing and it was wading through the water and I could see it clearly. There is nothing that big out here and it was big. It came through the water looking down every now and again, I saw it put its hand over the water as if it was looking into it for something. I slowed right down this morning to about 35 mph and there were no other vehicles around that early so there were no cars in front or behind me. I got a really good clear look at it.
I formed the impression it was fishing. You could see the long hair on its face as it lent forwards to look into the water. He was a thick bodied thing and it must have been at least 8 ft tall and standing here now I think he was even taller. He was also really thick and bulky“.
Deborah Hatswell - BBR Investigations 