Police called as shocked Birmingham family find 1.5-metre snake in their lounge

West Midlands Police officers got quite the surprise when they were called to help a Birmingham family who’d found a snake in their home.

The force took an emergency call on Sunday night (12 June) from a dad who’d found the 1.5-metre snake slithering across the lounge floor at their flat in Hodge Hill.

Worried the black and white snake could be venomous he quickly moved his children to another room and called police for help.

RSPCA colleagues weren’t able to attend until the morning so officers went to lend a hand – equipped with a grabber and pillow case.

They found the snake underneath a sofa and managed to safely pop it unto the case and take it to a local reptile house.

A response officer can be heard on body-worn camera joking “do I need to record the time of arrest?”

One of the call centre staff – an in-house reptile expert having worked in animal research for the University of British Columbia – had offered advice on the likely type of snake and handling tips.

Police aren’t sure how the snake got into the flat in Hodge Hill, but it’s suspected it may have got in through the pipe system.

The snake is absolutely fine and will be looking for a new home.

A message from the editor:

Thank you for reading. BirminghamWorld is Birmingham’s latest news website, championing everything that is great about our city - reporting on news, lifestyle and sport. Find out more about who’s who in the team, and our editorial values. We want to start a community among our readers, so please follow us on Facebook,Twitter and Instagram, and keep the conversation going.