Wild lynx could return to Britain for the first time in 1,300 years after landowners agreed to let them roam on 270 square miles of forest in Northumberland.

The Lynx UK Trust has applied to Natural England for permission to release six Eurasian lynx into Kielder Forest and a licensing decision is expected shortly.

But the rewilding group said that consent for the project was now a ‘near certainty’ after the owners of 20 adjoining plots in the forest agreed the animals could be let loose on their land.

If the release is successful it could lead to the widespread reintroduction of the cats into the Scottish Highlands and other parts of Britain.