Police stepped in to detain a 12ft-long python after a member of the public reported the snake slithering along a street in West Bromwich in the early hours.

A picture released by West Midlands Police showed three officers getting to grips with the reptile after being called to Harwood Street at about 1.30am on Tuesday.

The force said in a statement posted on its website: “Our officers are not easily rattled when it comes to responding to unusual calls as we deal with a huge variety of incidents.

“While RSPCA colleagues would usually handle this situation they were not able to attend due to the time of the call so some of our brave response officers stepped in.

“We managed to safely rescue the snake and get it into our van without too many slips and slides. The snake was then transferred to a nearby veterinary hospital for overnight care.”

The snake rescue came after an apparent jump in sightings in London this summer.

A cyclist narrowly avoided striking a huge serpent slithering across a roundabout in Balham.

The runaway reptile - nicknamed the Balham Boa - was seen shedding its skin on the busy junction.

One loose ball python, nicknamed Gary by police officers, was also caught in a north London garden in August.