rural snake

A bit of light relief from my neck of the woods:

An 8ft (2.4m) long snake got itself into trouble after curling up inside a gas fire and getting trapped.

Billy the boa constrictor was roaming around its owner’s living room in Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, when it found its way into the heater.

Firefighters had to be called to rescue the pet, who was agitated but not hurt.

The service tweeted: “Not every day you go to a snake rescue! But Billy the boa constrictor needed some help to get out of this tight spot.”

Billy’s owner, Jane Boor, said “[Billy is] pure muscle – very, very strong and I was frantically holding on to him because I didn’t know the chimney was blocked up.

“I had terrible visions of him disappearing up the chimney.”