A nearly three-metre long python is on the loose in Cambridge, with police asking the public to notify them of any sighting.

Cambridgeshire officers were called to Lovell Road in the north of the city in the early hours of Sunday, after receiving reports that a sizeable snake had been spotted in the area.

Officers tracked down its owners who confirmed the snake’s length to be 2.7 metres (9ft). It remains at large, police confirm.

#cambscops In the early hours of this morning Officers attended the area of Lovell Rd Cambridge, Reports of a three meter snake seen in the area. Police have located the owner but not the Reticulated Python confirmed to be 9ft long. Any sighting please notify Cambs Police on 101. — Cambs police (@CambsCops) June 30, 2019



The snake is a reticulated python, which can grow up to 9.6 metres (31.5ft), making them the largest of the Pythonidae family.

Native to Asia, they are able to survive in urban and suburban areas in spite of their large size.

They are non-venomous. Instead the animal uses its powerful bite to catch its prey – typically mammals and birds – usually followed by constriction, squeezing it tightly in the coils of its body.

An RSPCA spokeswoman said that anyone who unexpectedly encounters a non-native snake should “keep a safe distance [and] monitor the snake” before calling their helpline.

The charity released figures in April revealing that it rescued more than 4,000 exotic pets last year.

The RSPCA believes that the high number of incidents involving these pets could be due to inexperienced owners being misinformed on how to care for them, resulting in the animals escaping or being abandoned or neglected.

An abandoned three-metre long boa constrictor found in the backseat of a Bristol car was among the 15,790 emergency callouts the RSPCA received across England and Wales in 2018.

Road policing officers got a bit of a shock this morning when they came across thissss snake in the grass on Arbury Road in Cambridge. They think it's probably a lost pet so took the stripy fellow to The Animal Experience in Stretham. #snakecare #safercambs pic.twitter.com/eNmSo3bGBF — Cambs police (@CambsCops) May 1, 2019

It also appears this is not the first time Cambridgeshire constabulary has dealt with snakes, after officers found a large corn snake in May. Suspected to be a lost pet, it was taken to a wildlife centre in Stretham.

Police urge anyone who sees the missing python not to approach it, but to phone 101, the non-emergency number.