A terrified family has spent six months sleeping together on camp beds in their front room – because a massive SNAKE is living under their floorboards.
The Hebdens huddle together at night and are paralysed by fear of the one-metre long green and yellow serpent which has taken up home beneath their house.
It was left behind by a previous owner and was last seen slithering into a hole in the floor upstairs – so the family now all sleep on the ground floor in the living room.
The alarm was first raised after their pet pooch, Bear, was attacked by the snake and left with bite marks in June.
Staffie Bear suffered blood loss, a swollen leg and potential muscle damage – costing the family #500 in vet bills.
Mum Jackie, 46, believes the snake is now hibernating beneath the floor and the whole family have moved downstairs of their home in Plymouth, Devon.
Jackie shares the floor space with her husband Daniel, 32, and children Clint, 28, Chloe, 15, Cobie, 19, Rebecca, 27, and their two dogs.
She said: “I’m worried once it wakes up from hibernation, it’s going to come out searching for food. It’s been a nightmare. I’m so nervous it might strike at any minute.
‘It hasn’t been seen since it was spotted upstairs, though we know it’s still there. It was green and yellow, with a white tip, and over a metre long.
“We only realised it was here when my dog was bitten. He came downstairs from my bedroom and I noticed his leg was swollen.”
Experts predicted it may be a foul-tempered but non-venomous Kingsnake but several attempts to trace it have failed.
Officials at Plymouth Community Homes (PCH) and an RSPCA exotic animal specialist have looked unsuccessfully.
Jackie said: “I just wish it would come out and bite me so I can prove it actually exists.
After the attack we decided to move into the front room – all seven of us.
“We went out and bought camp beds to sleep on. It is quite cramped but it’s the only room we think is totally safe.”
Steve Ford from PCH said: “There has been no evidence of a snake at Ms Hebden’s home.
“We have taken specialist advice from both the RSPCA and other exotic animal experts on how to entice an escaped pet snake out of hiding – we have acted fully on that advice, but no snake was found.
“We have offered Ms Hebden support throughout, and that is still our position – we are here to help.”
