WHEN police came across a snake in the grass, there was only one man to call.

They tracked down Bolton Aquarium development manager Peter Liptrott, who headed to Wigan to tackle a grey rat snake which was lurking in a garden.

The snake - which Mr Liptrott said he would name only if it bit him - is now being looked after by aquarium staff.

Mr Liptrott said: "I think it had been hibernating but when a bit of sun came out last week, it was woken up and decided to go on a wander.

"The snake has been abandoned by its owner and it was just wriggling around the garden."

Mr Liptrott was in the shower when police called.

He said: "Since the snake was two feet long, I think it would have lived on mice. Every garden has its mice and it would have kept the snake going."

Grey rat snakes - so called because their favoured meal is rat - come from America and can grow up to six feet long. The snake found in Wigan is likely to be three-years-old. They have short, sharp teeth but their bite can barely puncture human skin.