A DESPERATE family are appealing for help after their beloved pet python escaped from their home without a trace.

Seth, an eight-year-old royal python, is on the loose having escaped from the Reynolds family home, in Woodside, Leigh, on Friday.

It is thought the snake got out into the back garden after making its way into the conservatory. 

Despite numerous searches in the house and around the garden for Seth, the Reynolds have been unable to find him. 

Mum, Louisa, admitts her family, including husband Andy, 60, and kids Jake, 15, and Lucy, 11, are becoming increasinly worried about him.

She insists Seth is harmless to other pets and not big enough to harm a human. 

But Louisa fears a scared passer-by may end up causing the snake harm if they come across it. 

Echo: Seth went missing from the family home on Friday Seth went missing from the family home on Friday

She said: “The conservatory’s very hot so I’m guessing that’s why he got out really.

"Although we’ve searched the house in the obvious places the chances are he’s in the woods our garden backs on to.

“We’ve looked around the garden and poked around in the compost heap, there’s loads of places for him to hide.

"We’re upset and we really want to find him.”

She added: “My worry is someone who’s afraid of snakes hurts him thinking he’s a danger.

"He is a big snake but he couldn’t harm a person. We just want him back.”   

Luckily for Mrs Reynolds Seth’s species can last up to six months without food and with the warm weather she is confident of his chances of survival.

If the weather did get colder he is able to hibernate as well.

Royal pythons are nonvenomous restrictors, which can grow to around 180cm in length.

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Louisa is urging anyone who spots Seth to contain him and contact her directly.

She added: “He’s no danger to anyone or their pets. He couldn’t get a rabbit or guinea pig and certainly not a dog or cat.

“I know people hear the word python and think of a big scary animal who can eat you whole but he’s not that sort of snake.”  

Mrs Reynolds asks anyone who has seen Seth to post the details in the Tilly's cloud Facebook page at bit.ly/38cKtde.