A SNAKE who became a local celebrity after being spotted slithering around the streets of Girlington is finally back at home after being captured over the weekend.

Draco the corn snake escaped from Prism City Farm, a youth project in the area, almost three weeks ago, but interest in - and fear of - the four-foot animal peaked last week after amateur video footage of the reptile appeared online.

Seven-year-old Draco was finally caught over the weekend after he was spotted in a pile of overgrowth and rubbish at the back of Hollings Terrace. He is now back home in his vivarium, which he shares with a female snake called Pansy.

It is thought the snake escaped through a, now sealed, hole in the back of the enclosure that wires for the heat lamp pass through.

Paul Kilgallon, volunteer co-ordinator at the farm, said: "Snakes like him only eat once a fortnight anyway, so while he may have eaten some live food while he was out, they can go extended periods of time without eating.

"It is a good job we found him when we did - with the temperature dropping he would have been at risk."

He thanked the public for its help in finding the snake.

When asked if Pansy had missed Draco, Mr Kilgallon said: "I don't think they get on too well, they haven't had any eggs and he constantly tries to escape."

The farm is open from 2.30pm to 4pm for any members of the public who want to see the infamous snake.