Cops on the lookout for 5ft python; SEARCH.

POLICE are hunting a giant snake after it escaped from its owner's garden shed.

Monty, a 5ft royal python, has not been seen since slipping out of a vent in his tank on Wednesday.

Owner Martin Tuck, 25, yesterday insisted Monty was harmless but warned he would be hungry and desperate for shelter.

Martin, a Cambridge University carpenter, added: "He's just shed his skin, which means he's hungry, but he doesn't pose a threat.

"He will be seeking warmth so he might be heading for someone's car, office or house."

RSPCA inspector Chris Nice added: "There is no risk to people. If it feels threatened it can bite but it is not venomous."