An 18ft long python was spotted on a quiet Hampshire road early yesterday morning. Pictures show the light-coloured snake slithering over tiles and through an open window near Southampton. Horrified locals spotted the animal at around 5.30am, before people inside the house began poking at it with a broom. A woman who lives opposite watched as her neighbors in Chandlers Ford, Eastleigh, tried to get the animal out of their house and eventually forced it to the ground through a car bonnet – making an ‘almighty thud’. Jenny Warwick, 62, was stunned when she spotted the creature and was initially unable to convince her husband that there was a snake loose in their driveway. “I saw something on the ceiling and thought it must be a plastic pipe, but then his head started moving,” she explained. I told my husband, Stephen, but he said “don’t be silly”. “I have a dog named Rodney, and he was really barking and going crazy.” The animal was first spotted at around 5.30am yesterday (Image: Solent News & Photo Agency) If the animal was indeed 18ft long, it would make it one of the largest pythons ever recorded (Image: Solent News & Photo Agency ) Mrs Warwick continued: “I asked a neighbor outside if they could see anything on the roof because I didn’t have my glasses and I wasn’t sure if I was seeing anything. “We realized it was definitely a snake and it was moving all over the roof trying to find a way to get down. “My husband hates snakes and couldn’t get to work fast enough. “It’s not what you want to see first thing in the morning, I think it’s very irresponsible to let it loose.” Although one local estimates the animal to be 18ft long and weigh six stone, it is unclear exactly how much. The snake fell from the window onto a car bonnet – making an ‘almighty thud’ (Image: Solent News & Photo Agency) The largest python ever found in Florida measured 17 feet 7 when captured in June. The Southern Daily Echo reported the snake was seen in Ribble Close and said a local pet shop had identified it as an albino Burmese Python. Ms Warwick said she saw people at home pushing the animal out of the window before it crashed into a Hyundai i10 hatchback below. Another neighbor is said to have been ‘looking after’ him in her nursery until his owner finally arrived to put an end to his exotic pet’s great escape. Local residents decided to knock on the door of a neighbor who used to keep snakes, thinking it might be hers. After six months of violent fighting in Ukraine, no one is winning The woman – who did not want to be named – said: “I woke up to people knocking on my door talking about a snake in the street. “It wasn’t mine, but I said they could leave it in my conservatory until he woke up. “It’s a very dangerous snake and it’s huge. “I felt sick when my friend told me he was trying to break into someone’s house. “It could have been a baby in there or whatever.”
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He added: “I used to keep snakes and I know that when they are hungry they can be mean. “I was bitten by my python many times. “It was a big 18 foot snake and must have been at least six stone.” The woman then called the man who owns the snake and he eventually showed up to take it back to his home a short distance away. Last month, the RSPCA warned that snakebites were becoming more common in the UK due to the increase in exotic pets.
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The organization is aware of the Chandlers Ford incident.
Its scientific manager, Evie Button, said: “Snakes are excellent escape artists and will take the opportunity of a gap in an enclosure door or a loose lid to make a break for it.
“Last year, we received more than 1,200 reports of snakes, with the highest number of calls coming in during the summer months.
“Snakes become more active when the weather is warm. We would therefore urge all pet snake owners to take extra care at this time of year, invest in a species-appropriate enclosure and ensure that the enclosure is kept secure – and locked if necessary – when they are not being watched.”
He continued: “The RSPCA urges prospective owners of reptiles such as snakes to thoroughly research the needs of the particular species and what is required to care for the animal, using specialist sources.
“People should only consider keeping a snake if they can ensure that it is fully capable of meeting these needs.”
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