DAILY RECORD (Glasgow, UK) 28 July 08 Islanders warned to keep toilet lids down after snake escapes on Lewis (Craig Davidson)

A radio station warned islanders to keep away from their toilets after a snake went missing.

The three-foot pet boa constrictor escaped from its glass case and was thought to have made a break for freedom in Shawbost on Lewis.

Its owner thought it had escaped through an open window and he alerted the police and animal inspectors. A warning was then issued by radio station Isles FM, telling people to keep their toilet lids down.

There were fears it had entered the plumbing system and could emerge in a bathroom.

The snake went missing on Friday morning but turned up yesterday - lying on its owner's sofa. SSPCA inspector Calum Watt said: "It seems likely that the snake never left the house at all. We don't get many exotic snakes on the island, so I wasn't sure what it might have done.

"But they usually go for warmth, so I would have been surprised if it had gone outside.

"To be honest, given its size, it would be more scared of you than you would be of it but it would have died in the cold weather if it hadn't been found."

Police had reassured the public the snake posed no risk to them because of its size.

A dog saved a toddler's life by shielding it from a snake and taking a bite in the neck. Jack Russell Pickle has made a full recovery after the adder attack in Bordon, Hampshire.
Islanders warned to keep toilet lids down after snake escapes

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