Snake's fortnight's freedom ends

A neighbour dialled 999 when he found Clarice

A 6ft boa constrictor which sparked two weeks of fear when it escaped in a block of flats has been recaptured.

When Clarice the snake escaped from a 12th floor flat, residents of Richbell Court in Bedford spent a fortnight worried she could be lurking anywhere.

Experts said Clarice would have been trying to keep warm while on the loose. She was found on Wednesday when a neighbour heard rustling in their flat.

Now owner Chris Chapman accepts Clarice will have to go to a new home.

The only permitted pets in the housing association-owned block of flats are goldfish and budgerigars.

First meal

Clarice spent three weeks wrapped round the metal bracket of a window in Mr Chapman's flat before she disappeared.

"I was hoping that she was going to come down on her own but she went in the other direction, along the ledge outside in to my nextdoor neighbour," he said.

The neighbour, who had been away from his flat, rang 999 at 0300 BST on Wednesday morning when he found Clarice.

She had her first meal in a fortnight when she was returned to Mr Chapman on Wednesday afternoon.