A REPTILE-LOVING couple have come to the rescue after police received a glut of calls about stray snakes in people's gardens.

Kay Dale and her partner, Ian Hotham, are offering a free service to anyone in the region who finds a reptile, or who has an unwanted reptile pet.

The couple, who have three teenage children, have no less than 47 living creatures in their four-bedroomed home, including a 16ft Burmese python.

Apart from the usual two dogs, rabbits and mice, they also have a range of snakes, a baby iguana, a bird-eating spider, a tarantula, a chameleon and two geckoes.

They have been collecting reptiles for years, but began offering a re-homing service for stray and unwanted creatures as word spread.

But now the couple have contacted Cleveland Police offering to help after hearing that officers were called all three times in the past few days after residents found harmless snakes in their gardens.

"A lot of the creatures we have are family pets, but some we have rescued," said unemployed Mr Hotham, 41, from Hartlepool.

"Instead of people opening their door and chucking their unwanted reptiles out into the street, we are taking them in.

"If they have been neglected, we feed them up and get them tame again, and then we try to re-home them with people who know what they are doing."

However, the couple's three children are not quite so enthusiastic.

Mr Hotham said their daughters, Catherine and Suzanne, 16 and 18, are squeamish about the spiders and snakes, but have learned to live with them.

"The python is upstairs in my bedroom in a 8ft by 6ft vivarium, but the rest are in the dining room, living room and conservatory," he said.

"Looking after them all is like a full-time job. I have to defrost the mice for the snakes, chop veg for the veg-eaters and I give them all individual attention, as well.

"I have been bitten, scratched and whipped by the iguanas' tails over the years, but we don't have anything dangerous, really."

On Sunday, a baby corn snake was found in Craven Street, Middlesbrough, and last week, a 3ft ringed grass snake was found in Seaton Carew, near Hartlepool.

And a third snake was recently found in Redcar, which is still living at the couple's house.

A police spokeswoman said: "We are delighted this couple has approached us offering to deal with any stray reptiles which people may encounter.

"They appear to offer a very professional and knowledgeable service - one which we've had to use on several occasions recently."

The couple can be contacted on 01429-429183 or 07849-022108.