A pest control expert who rescued an escaped snake is hoping to find the pet’s owner before the animal has to be rehomed.

Phil Golding, who runs Pestaway in Ashford, was called to Willesborough this morning to rescue the reptile after it was found hiding in a garden water butt.

He received a phone call from his wife Maria, whose colleague had made the panicked discovery.

Mr Golding, 55, from Park Farm said: “My wife works at the William Harvey Hospital and at 9am she called me saying one of her colleagues is in floods of tears because there was a snake in her garden.

“Her children had opened the lid of their water butt and saw the snake.

“I went straight over there to help and I didn’t know what snake I was going to encounter so I had some equipment ready.

“As soon as I lifted the counter, curled upon the inside was a corn snake – a beautiful thing.

“I put gauntlets on because they can still bite if they are scared, but they are not venomous.

“This is a pet, not a wild snake, so it must have come from reasonably close by.

“I was going to knock on all the doors but the neighbour knew everyone in the close and he said nobody has a pet snake.”

After making some calls, Mr Golding eventually took the snake to Trinity Vet Centre in Maidstone, which has facilities to look after the reptiles.

But if the owner is not found soon, the snake will have to be rehomed.

Mr Golding, who runs the business with his son Ollie, added: “It wouldn’t have travelled too far.

“Snakes can live for months without food, but they do need water.

“It’s likely it wouldn’t have ever found its way home, but it could have been taken by a cat or a fox if left out there.”

Anyone missing a pet snake near Willesborough is urged to call Trinity Vets Centre on 01622 726730.