An 18ft Burmese python was spotted on the roof of a house in Chandler’s Ford, Hampshire, after escaping from a nearby property.
Residents only realised what they were seeing when it tried to get through an upstairs window, before a neighbour carried it back to its owner.
Luckily, one brave woman, Linda Elmer, who recognised the snake, stepped in and dealt with the situation.
“Everyone was panicking,” she said. “I picked him up – no one wanted to help. It was very difficult because he’s a big snake and I managed to hobble down the road with this 18ft python wrapped round me and knocked on the owner’s door.”
Another python, known as Ellie, escaped from her vivarium in Bournemouth and ended up wedging itself under a kitchen door.
Firefighters were called in the early hours to free the 3ft reptile using hydraulic equipment.