'Brave' police officers left bewildered after coming face-to-face with 12ft python in middle of the street

Officers from the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals were unable to attend the scene at that time of the night.

West Midlands police said the inability of the RSPCA to respond, left the tricky task of recovering the giant snake to "some of our brave officers" who stepped in.

The force spokesperson added: "We managed to safely rescue the snake and get it into our van without too many slips and slides."

The python was transferred to a nearby veterinary hospital for overnight care.

Police have not yet said where the snake escaped from or whether they have been able to trace its owners.

The discovery of the snake comes after a couple in Dudley got a nasty surprise when they found a 5 ft python in their bedroom.

The couple from Quarry Bank in Dudley, West Midlands, said they had no idea how it got in their house.

After having the fright of their lives, they called the police.

They managed to shut the snake in the room as they waited for officers to arrive and take the animal to the vet.

Although they weren’t certain how it arrived in their home, they speculated it could have either come in a delivery or slithered in through a pipe.

The couple admitted that a large package had been delivered the previous day and suspected the snake could have been hiding in the box.

Police officers said such cases are normally in the remit of the RSPCA but no-one from the charity was available.

Three student officers found the snake on top of a cabinet wrapped around a vanity mirror.

Officers used their batons to nudge the snake into a shoe box - which had breathing holes for the snake.

At a nearby vet in Halesowen, it was found that the snake was in general good health but did found it was a mature female snake and it had a few lumps and old injuries.