A stolen snake has been returned to its reptile house after police found it curled up in a council flat.

Staff at the Ponderosa Rural Therapeutic Centre in Heckmondwike are now monitoring Malificent, the nine-foot-long boa constrictor, to see if it has suffered any ill-effects from the five-day ordeal.

Malificent was seized last Monday night after raiders cut a hole in the window of the centre’s reptile house.

The snake was recovered from a flat in Dewsbury Moor, on Saturday evening after police received a tip-off.

Centre manager Lisa Bownes said yesterday: “Police entered the flat and saw the snake in the corner of the living room. She was curled up and not very happy.

“A colleague, Alex Smith, and I got hold of her with a snake hook and put her in a duvet cover. We brought her straight back to the reptile room.

“We didn’t want to handle her too much because we didn’t know how stressed she was, but we gave her a quick check-over and she doesn’t appear to have any physical wounds.

“We will be trying to feed her this week and we will know then how much this has affected her.

“We are ecstatic to get her back. She wasn’t really worth stealing, she isn’t very valuable.”

It is believed police raided the flat after getting a tip-off that a snake was for sale.

Detective Inspector Phil Benson, of Dewsbury CID, said the tenants were believed to have left and police inquiries were ongoing to trace them.

He said: “It is understood the snake may have been offered for sale around the Dewsbury Moor area and we are appealing for anyone with information about people trying to sell a boa constrictor to come forward.”

Anyone with information should call Dewsbury CID on (01924) 431085, or Crimestop-pers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.

e-mail: steve.wright@telegraphandargus.co.uk