The Loch Ness monster - affectionately known as Nessie - is believed to be a myth and a hoax because evidence is minimal and much disputed. But a potential sighting in the Scottish lake known as Loch Ness on an image used on Google Earth has tongues wagging across the globe.

We've cut and pasted the disputed picture of Nessie here, or simply visit Google Earth and type in the following co-ordinates: Latitude 57°12′52.13″N, Longitude 4°34′14.16″W. More information about the sighting is described in in national media reports.

The search behemoth Google has reportedly sent its Google camera bike to circle the lake and record further imagery for the Street Maps project, hoping to capture more evidence. Extraordinary!