Slithering snakes sunbathing in a Paisley park have caused a bit of a stir recently, with 20 of them said to be using the greenspace. They are thought to belong to a local man and while some have welcomed the sight of the serpents having fun in the sun, others have called for them to be removed.
Margaret Winters from Paisley was taking a walk in Barshaw Park when she spotted the limbless reptiles enjoying the good weather.
"I was surprised to see them,” she said. “After being a wee bit freaked out to start with they were really too cute."
Margaret approached the owner, saying he was very friendly and he even let her hold one of the snakes.
She added: “He said that they are really friendly animals and two of them watch TV with him at night. They seemed very friendly and not bothered by the people around them."
However, not everybody is as enamoured as Margaret is with the pet snakes. The Friends of Barshaw Park say that they’ve been contacted by concerned locals scared by the scaly creatures.
Irene McDonald, chair of Friends of Barshaw Park, said: “We had been contacted by several people who had seen someone in the park with snakes, and they were alarmed by the sight and wanted to know if we were aware of what was happening.
“We enquired with the council who told us that no one should be bringing snakes or any other non-domestic animals into the park and that the police should be contacted.”
Renfrewshire Council confirmed that this is the case, with a spokesperson saying: “Non-domestic pets, such as snakes, should not be brought into our parks and consent has not been provided for this to take place.”
It may not be all over for the snake whisperer and his collection of serpents, though. The Paisley Daily Express understands that the man has been asked to make a formal request to council officials so that they can assess if there is any risk to the general public.
Don't miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond - Sign up to our daily newsletter here
