There's a new invasive snake species "thriving" in Brits' attics and walls – but should we be worried?
Researchers have warned that a snake species not spotted in the UK for more than 300,000 years has been "accidentally" introduced to the UK.
The aesculapian snakes, which can grow up to 6.5 feet long, have adapted to survive the "chilly" British weather by crawling into people's houses to escape the cold, a study has found.
The species are native to central and southern Europe, reaching as far as northern France. However, scientists warn their "climate envelope" – the conditions they thrive in – is shifting north. The invasive reptiles have so far been found "thriving" in around Colwyn Bay in north Wales and along the Regent's Canal in London.
Researchers from Bangor University tracked 21 snakes using radio transmitters over two summers and found that the snakes were "actively seeking and returning to use inhabited buildings," much to the alarm of homeowners.
The study's authors wrote: "Two accidental introductions have allowed this species to thrive in Britain. It is not actually novel to our shores, but it disappeared during a previous ice age and has probably been absent for about 300,000 years.
“While the introduced UK populations appear to be thriving, recent surveys of this snake in the southern parts of its range have discovered a rapid decline, potentially due in part to climate change.
"Given their status as a non-native species, we were keen to find out how Aesculapian snakes are surviving in chilly north Wales, further north than anywhere they currently occur naturally."
However, the researchers "surprisingly" found that most residents did not mind that the snakes had made themselves at home in their
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