Owner frantic over missing snake

The California King Snake is native to the US

A 5ft 6in snake has gone missing from his home in Woodford Halse in Northamptonshire.

The four-year-old Califonia King Snake escaped from his cage and slithered out through an open window on Saturday.

His owner, Melanie McPherson told BBC Radio Northampton the snake is not dangerous unless he is scared - and she is desperate to get him home.

She said: "He's black with yellow stripes, and he's only about the width of a ping pong ball, so he's not actually that fat.

"If he is frightened or taken by surprise, he will try and bite, but only if he is extremely frightened.

"If he is under a shed or something like that, then no, he wouldn't bite."

California King Snakes, which are native to the western US, but kept as a pet in Europe, are not poisonous - they squeeze their prey in a similar way to a boa constrictor.

Anyone who thinks they have seen the snake is asked to call the RSPCA.