Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Police patrol get to grips with python after early-hours call-out

The snake was taken to a veterinary hospital after being spotted in a street in West Bromwich at 1.30am.

Matthew Cooper
Tuesday 05 September 2023 13:29 BST
Police stepped in to detain a 12ft-long python after a member of the public reported the snake slithering along a street in West Bromwich in the early hours (West Midlands Police/PA)
Police stepped in to detain a 12ft-long python after a member of the public reported the snake slithering along a street in West Bromwich in the early hours (West Midlands Police/PA)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Police stepped in to detain a 12ft-long python after a member of the public reported the snake slithering along a street in West Bromwich in the early hours.

A picture released by West Midlands Police showed three officers getting to grips with the reptile after being called to Harwood Street at about 1.30am on Tuesday.

The force said in a statement posted on its website: “Our officers are not easily rattled when it comes to responding to unusual calls as we deal with a huge variety of incidents.

“While RSPCA colleagues would usually handle this situation they were not able to attend due to the time of the call so some of our brave response officers stepped in.

“We managed to safely rescue the snake and get it into our van without too many slips and slides. The snake was then transferred to a nearby veterinary hospital for overnight care.”

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in