Shoppers look on in horror as teenager takes his 12-foot python 'for a walk' through busy town centre

 

• The young man went for a stroll in Brighton town centre with his pet snake
• Locals called the police who asked him to remove the reptile from the street
• He claimed his pet was 'content' but was eventually convinced to take it home 

Shoppers were left in shock after spotting a young man taking his 12-foot python 'for a walk' in a busy town centre. 

The reptile owner was seen strolling with his friend and his pet snake in Brighton, East Sussex, on Tuesday afternoon. 

Concerned locals contacted the police who confronted the man and persuaded him to take the python home. 

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The young man was spotted with his pet snake in the centre of  Brighton, East Sussex

The man and his friend are thought to have been intending to film the snake for their YouTube channel where they post videos of reptiles in unusual places.

Police said the pair dropped to snake on the ground and were inviting people to hold it as they filmed them. 

Erik Selby, 30, caught the bizarre incident on camera after hearing the disturbance from his office.

He said: 'There was a lot of commotion and somebody said something about a snake, but I thought they meant a tiny snake. I had seen a big yellow thing on the floor, but it didn't even cross my mind that was a snake at first.' 

The two police officers ask the man to remove the reptile from the street, before he argues that his pet is 'content' where it is.    

Eventually the officers managed to persuade him to take it home and he walks away with the python wrapped around his neck. 

Steven Allain, from the British Herpetological Society, told the Argus: 'A cold September afternoon is not the time to take a tropical snake into a town centre. 

'The owner is the person most at risk, all it takes is for the python to get a little spooked or hold on a little too tight when being carried around the neck and you could quickly lose consciousness or worse.

'A snake of that size isn't going to eat you but it could easily inflict harm without even realising it.'

One person said on Facebook: 'If you see this idiot in Brighton, make sure you tell him what he's doing to that snake is cruel.

'Reptiles require heat to digest there food correctly and if they don't get the correct heating it can lead to serious health problems.. Mug.' 

Erik, a video production company owner, added: 'The man was arguing 'how is this different to walking a dog?'

'The officers didn't answer back to that. They kept encouraging him to take the snake home. 

'They were as baffled as anyone else. They were saying how it was an interesting end to a shift.'

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Police officers were trying to persuade him to remove the snake from the street

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The reptile owner argued that his pet python was 'content' where it was

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He was eventually persuaded and walked away with the snake wrapped around his neck

A Sussex Police spokesman said: 'Police were called to Ship Street in Brighton at 2.35pm on Tuesday (September 29), following concern for the welfare of a large snake that was being carried in the street.

'It was reported that the snake had been dropped to the ground and being used for filming with people being invited to hold it. 

'The young man with the snake agreed to return it to his car and was escorted back to his vehicle.'