ISN’T it time there were tighter laws when it comes to buying reptile pets? Recently two pythons - one a nine foot albino and the other three feet long - were found in a leafy suburb over in Bradford. A few days later a third snake, about five feet long, was seen at the same location. The three snakes are believed to have been dumped at the same time.

How utterly cruel and irresponsible to leave such creatures in a public place. I’d be horrified to come across a nine foot albino python.

It must be terrifying to see snakes of this size on the loose. Even though they’re not poisonous, they can attack and would be a threat to anyone walking a dog, riding a horse or out and about with young children.

The fact that the first two snakes were found in duvets suggests they were left there deliberately. None of the snakes looked in good health, and the albino python was close to death, according to reptile expert Peter Schofield who came to the snakes’ aid.

Even if it’s the case that someone could no longer look after them, or simply got bored of them, the least they could have done would be to hand them to the RSPCA or a reptile rescue organisation.

Anyone who takes on such a high maintenance pet really needs to know what they’re doing. It’s a huge commitment, requiring some prior research so you know exactly what’s involved. There are excellent wildlife and reptile organisations that offer advice on responsible pet ownership.

Sadly, once the reality and expense of caring for an exotic creature kicks in, they’re not such a thrill. Some owners soon realise they’re out of their depth, or the novelty wears off, and many of these pets end up neglected and abandoned.

A friend’s teenage son recently moaned that he was already bored of his bearded dragon, just a few months after buying him from a pet shop on impulse. “It doesn’t do anything, it’s a bit boring. I might take it back,” he said. Someone else I know has a snake that’s a decade old, after buying it for her daughter as a pet. With the daughter now at university, the mother is left to feed the snake, thawing out frozen mice. The poor creature spends most of its life in a tank underneath a bookcase in a back bedroom.

I don’t think snakes, iguanas and other reptiles should be sold as pets at all in this country. The climate isn’t right for them, and invariably they’re cooped up in tanks in bedrooms and living-rooms, occasionally being allowed to scuttle across the carpet or wriggle about on the lawn for half an hour. It's no quality of life.

I once spent a day with an RSPCA inspector and we were called to retrieve an escaped snake. He said it often happens, due to careless owners or those who tire of such pets and simply release them. If reptiles must be traded as pets, there should be some procedure to ensure that they’re placed with owners who have the skills and knowledge to provide the care and commitment they need.

It concerns me that there don’t appear to be such regulations, and inevitably many reptiles end up in the wrong hands. Maybe it should be compulsory for them to be chipped, so that owners can be traced if their pet escapes or is dumped or neglected. A microchip procedure might mean these beautiful exotic creatures stand a better chance of a decent life, with owners who look after them properly - not with someone who thinks it’s okay to dump them, half starved, wrapped in a duvet.