This python proved to be a slippery customer when she escaped from her tank

by Tim Collins

The search for a 7ft snake was called off... when the missing creature was found curled around the cooling mechanism of a fridge.

Police were called to a house in Kingsnorth after the massive beast managed to escape its enclosure.

The female coastal carpet python managed to pry off an air vent and escape from her professionally-built reptile enclosure earlier this week.

The snake, thought to be around five years old and yet to reach full size, was reported missing to the police and RSPCA by the owner, following a thorough search of the property.

But she was found curled around the back of the fridge freezer a day later.

Her owner, who did not want to be named, said: “After a slightly concerning 24 hours and more searches round the house than I could count, I by chance shone a light under the fridge as a coil landed on the floor and we happily found where she had been hiding.

“With the assistance of two off-duty police officers, who had visited the previous night, we were able to manipulate the fridge and the snake at the same time to remove her without injury to the snake or ourselves and without damaging the fridge freezer.”

Native to Australia, carpet pythons can reach up to 13ft in length and weigh up to 15kg (33lb).

Their diet in the wild consists mainly of small mammals, bats, birds and lizards.