The Beast of Sneyd Green is a legend about an enormous swamp monster, nicknamed Steve, who first terrorized the citizens of Sneyd Green in 1949. Despite a month–long hunt that briefly gained international attention, the Beast was not captured.
Steve is described as a lizard man, who stands between 8 and 10 feet tall, with skanky green skin and either yellow or red glowing eyes, depending on the account. It is believed by some that the monster could be a mutated lizard.
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| Steve caught on film in 1988 |
Another theory is that a local scientist may have gotten mutated by exposure to chemicals and/or the swamp. However, the bodies of all of the 173 scientists from Stoke who disappeared during that period have since been found. None of them appeared mutated. A final theory is that the DNA of a human was somehow merged with that of a lizard. Whichever of the theories is true, it appears that the city's scientists have got a lot to answer for!
In 1949, a farmer, Paul Potts, noticed that some of his foxes had gone missing. Believing the disappearances to be caused by local yokels, he paid little attention to it other than to make sure his fences were secure. After a few months, larger and larger livestock were disappearing, even a hippo in one instance; all the disappearances occurred near Sneyd Green Swamp, which neighboured his property.
One day, he saw a colossal swamp monster, estimated at 10 feet in height, sunbathing on the swamp-side beach. Terrified, he called the police. When they arrived - two days later - the giant monster remained there, still topping up its tan. A plan was devised to capture the beast with chains pulled by local rag-and-bone men; when initiated, beast and man were evenly matched, but the chains broke and ‘Steve’ escaped.
The monster wasn’t seen again until 1963. Local paedophile Nigel Hicks was using his telescope to look at the playground near the western side of the swamp when he claims he saw two swamp monsters. “They were either fighting or making love,” said Hicks, 50. “Either way, it weren’t pretty.” The monsters were then shot six times by a passing angry loner who happened to be carrying a gun; the wounded monsters hastily retreated back into the swamp. Meanwhile, the angry loner (Timmy Spooner) was hailed as a local hero for saving the children! That was until the following year, when he went on a killing spree at a Mothercare store in Hanley.
Another notable incident happened in 1986. A Spastics Society coach party was returning to Milton from a trip to the cinema in Hanley to see ‘The Care Bears Movie’. The bus driver stopped at the southern edge of the swamp to allow the passengers to take a toilet break. As they urinated into the swamp, a monster rose up and pulled them in! “The spastics didn’t stand a chance,” said bus driver Barry Walker. “It was never a fair contest.” No trace of the monster or spastics has been found.
The Beast has also had an influence on wider popular culture. The song ‘Lizard Man Steve Ate My Monkey’ from the 1985 Status Quo album “Oops-a-Doodle-Dandy” is about the monster.
The monster's memory lives on in the Sneyd Green Steve Day festival held each June.
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| A reveller at Sneyd Green Steve Day |
It includes a parade, carnival and tug-of-war free-for-alls. A bronze statue of the Beast was erected in 1999 in the town's trendy uptown area.
