A SNAKE secretly living in the attic of a family home has finally been captured ... by a crocodile hunter from Blackley.

And it turns out the slippery customer could well have been hiding in the Ashton under Lyne semi for almost a year.

As reported earlier this week, the alarm was first raised when Gemma Peters, 25, partner Tony Robinson, 26, and their 21-month-old son Lewis found a discarded snakeskin in the loft of their new house, on Waddicor Avenue, soon after moving in 15 months ago.

Thinking it belonged to the previous tenants, Gemma and Tony thought nothing of it, until last week when they made the frightening discovery of a new, longer skin.

When wildlife expert Joe McQuade, 39, who is based in Blackley, heard of the family's plight he wasted no time getting in touch to offer his expert advice.

Joe, known as Crocodile Joe, who appears regularly on our sister TV station Channel M, quickly discovered 5ft five foot of freshly-discarded skin and droppings under the loft insulation - but there was no sign of the snake.

Trap

Because the recent findings were of fresh skin and snakes only shed it every few months, there were fears there may be two of them.

While preparing to set a trap using three rats, he went back up into the attic.

Joe, who has hunted crocodiles and venomous snakes in Australia, said: "I went up with lighting and looked down and saw something.

"I just grabbed it and held on to it. It was quite calm and I think it must have been thinking here's a friendly face and he's very calm.

"I was quite nervous because I didn't know what I was grabbing and I was not expecting to see it at that time."

Gemma said the family had been sleeping downstairs they were so terrified about the missing snake.

She said: "It's such a huge relief. I was downstairs sending an email when I heard all the shouting upstairs and then saying that they had caught it.

"It's an absolute relief and I'm glad it's all over."

Tony said: "It's great they've caught it. Now we just want to get back to our normal family life."

The family originally thought the snake belonged to the previous tenant until they bumped into him in the street and he said he'd never owned a snake.

But it has now emerged that the 5ft five-foot long squatter is a Baird's rat snake called Rammy.

Joe Alexander, 58, who lives two doors away, was looking after Rammy for his brother last November, when it escaped.

And it now looks like he had slid into Tony and Gemma's.

Joe said: "My brother lives in Scotland and asked me to look after it while he went away. The children opened the tank and didn't close it properly.

"We had experts in searching under the floorboards but they couldn't find it and said it might be dead. When I told my brother his snake may still be alive and in a neighbour's house, he couldn't believe it."

Joe said: "I've searched for crocodiles and venomous snakes in Australia but this is unusual for me searching in a loft for a snake."

Rammy, who is not poisonous, will not be heading back home north of the border.

Instead, he is being cared for at a veterinary centre in Old Trafford before being looked after permanently by Crocodile Joe...under lock and key.

Snake skin found ... but where's the snake?

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