Police hunt nine-foot python on the loose in Cambridge

Police are searching for a slippery character in Cambridgeshire following reports a nine-foot reticulated python is on the loose.

Officers were initially told an almost 10-foot snake was seen around Lovell Road, Cambridge.

In the early hours of Sunday, police said on Twitter that they had visited the area and met the reptile’s owner, who confirmed the snake measured nine feet in length.

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Reticulated pythons are the world’s longest snake, native to south-east Asia and can grow up to 31.5 feet, according to Encyclopaedia Britannica. They are not venomous.

In May, Cambridgeshire Constabulary found a large orange and black striped corn snake out and about.

“Road policing officers got a bit of a shock this morning when they came across thissss snake in the grass on Arbury Road in Cambridge,” police said on Twitter.

The snake was taken to a wildlife centre in Stretham.

Anyone who sees the latest snake is asked to notify police on 101.