Dean thinks the snake may have been curled up in a pair of thick socks which he had also bought on Saturday’s shopping trip.

He added: “I think it’s maybe been keeping warm in them before coming out once I arrived back.”

Wayne Mailer, who runs Dragons Den Exotic Pets in Newcastle, said: “Looking at the picture, this appears to be an Amery Corn Snake.

“I think it’s probably only a hatchling maybe only a few weeks old . At the minute it doesn’t appear to be in the best of health, probably due to the cold weather.

“More than likely, it is an escapee pet.”