Four-foot-long deadly snake named ‘Hissing Sid’ evades police who even scramble a helicopter to look for him
A potentially deadly snake is on the loose after evading a police helicopter which was scrambled to track it down.
Residents are on the lookout for a 4ft-long constrictor which has been spotted slithering along pavements in Plymouth, Devon.
The reptile was briefly captured by three people who trapped it in a bin - but is so strong that it forced its way out and vanished up an elderly lady's drainpipe.
A police helicopter equipped with thermal imagine gear was diverted to scour the area on Saturday, but the elusive snake - nicknamed 'Hissing Sid' by locals - remains at large.
Therapist Bernard Brotherton, 53, was one of three local residents who captured the creature in a knee-high swing-bin last Thursday, before it slipped from their grasp.
Ironically the dad-of one had been guzzling Snakebite - a cocktail of lager and cider - moments before the drama unfolded.
He said of the escapade: 'It seemed like the sensible thing to do, but it was so strong it would wrap itself around the rim of the lid and squeeze itself through the top like toothpaste.
'We got it in about three times but even with six hands pushing down on the lid it was too powerful.
'It was getting angry so we backed off, and at that point it decided to pop up the drainpipe.'
Vets, environmental health experts, the police, the RSPCA and a local animal centre have all attended the scene over the weekend, but the snake has not been spotted since Saturday.
Mr Brotherton managed to get a picture of the snake on his mobile phone, and experts believe it is a non-native species, probably a constrictor.
Devon and Cornwall Police said PCSOs had carried out house-to-house enquiries in the Keyham area, but that nobody had admitted to being Sid's owner.
Mr Brotherton added: 'If it is a constrictor, like they think it is, it is worrying. There are young children around here and it could do them some harm.
'It could slide under some slates and into somebody's loft or maybe down a chimney.
'Or it could be miles away by now. It probably wants a nice quiet life away from all this publicity.
'It wasn't being aggressive until towards the end of our struggle, but I'd still rather know where it is.'
Devon and Cornwall Police said its force helicopter was diverted to the scene while on its way to another job.
Police have urged people to call them if they spot the runaway reptile.
