The owners of a corn snake that frightened an 88-year-old woman when it slithered across her kitchen has been reunited with their pet.

Margaret Carlier from Filton Avenue says Twist and a female corn snake called Fanta both escaped around six weeks ago from the home she shares with son Ben, 15.

Mrs Carlier says Fanta was found four days later in the family's bath but that Twist was gone until discovered by the elderly woman five weeks later.

The three foot adult corn snake, with orange and red stripes, was rescued by the fire service after the woman phoned them because she was, understandably, too nervous to deal with it herself.

The crew captured the reptile in a bag and deposited it at Reptile Zone in Filton.

Mrs Carlier, 49, said Fanta battered a hole through the vent over several weeks to allow both snakes to escape.

After hearing about the story in the Evening Post, Mrs Carlier went to Reptile Zone and proved she was the owner of the snake and paid £30 for his release.

"He's a very friendly snake, but clearly to a lady in her 80s Twist would have been a pretty scary experience," Mrs Carlier, who works in Sainbury's pharmacy in Filton, said.

"My son and I have always loved snakes. I can have one on me and it doesn't bother me one bit – I just find them very relaxing.

"Twist is also going to be a dad very soon because Fanta has got 10 eggs and they are due to hatch in about a month.

"How they both got out is the real story. Fanta gradually knocked the vent over several weeks to create a small hole less than 1cm wide and they were both able to slither out. We know that was what happened because we had the vent in the Vivarium tank taped up and there was no damage there before.

"When I got back from work I went to go and let the snakes out and they were nowhere to be seen and I discovered the hole.

"We found Fanta four days later when a friend discovered her in the bath and screamed.

"We are pretty sure she had been under the floorboards because she was covered in cobwebs.

"Twist was a rescue snake who had been badly treated by a previous owner and we are lucky he was found when he was because he was close to snuffing it, to be honest.

"He was very thin but we are feeding him up on two mice twice a week is which is treble his intake and he is looking much more healthy now."