FILE PICTURE – A Royal Python. A six foot python is on the loose after escaping the clutches of its owner at a block of flats in Maidstone. See MASONS story MNPYTHON. The snake was reported missing from a property in Buckland Gardens, off Buckland Hill, at 7pm sparking an emergency call out. Exotic pet expert, Matt Lacey, was then contacted by Kent Police and told a number of residents were concerned about the reptile on the run and feared for the safety of small pets and children in the area. It is not known what species the constrictor is or how it escaped from the block which is next to Maidstone Barracks station and an area of woodland.