Ticketsss pleassse: Mystery surrounds how snake came to be found on West Yorkshire train

The harmless bright orange snake was found on a Northern service travelling between Shipley and Leeds on Saturday, with some reports saying the reptile had been spotted in a bin onboard.

The five-foot (1.5 metres) reptile was removed from the train at Leeds station and placed in a ventilated cardboard box by staff, before being collected by RSPCA animal rescue officer Katie Hetherington.

Now named ‘Noodles’ the snake is doing well in the care of experts at Reptilia in Ossett and will be rehomed if no owner comes forward.

It’s not known how Noodles came to be on the train, although the reptile was slightly underweight which could suggest the animal may have been out of its regular enclosure for some time.

Katie said: “The staff at the station were fantastic and had placed Noodles in a large cardboard box and they’d even put the heating on!

"Obviously coming face-to-face with a bright orange snake on a train would be an alarming sight for many people, but corn snakes like this one are completely harmless.

“We’re not really sure how and why the snake ended up on the train. It might have been abandoned or somehow escaped from captivity and slithered on board of its own accord, it really is a little bit of a mystery.

“As ever, our thanks go to the staff at Reptilia who will now make sure that this reptile receives the appropriate care and a new home if no owner comes forward.”

RSPCA senior scientific officer Evie Button said: “Snakes are excellent escape artists and will take the opportunity of a gap in an enclosure door, or a loose-fitting lid to make a break for it.

“Last year, we took more than one thousand reports about snakes, with the highest number of calls coming in during the summer months. This is not surprising, as snakes become more active during hot weather.

“The RSPCA urges all pet snake owners to be extra vigilant at this time of year, invest in an enclosure suitable for the particular species and make sure that enclosure is kept secure - and locked if necessary - when unattended.”

If anyone loses a snake there are a number of lost and found pet websites where details can be logged, including Animal Search. It is possible to microchip snakes and the RSPCA would recommend that owners ask their exotics vet to do this, so that snakes can be easily reunited if lost and found.