Watch: New footage of police apprehending 12-foot python on West Bromwich street

The dramatic incident took place in the early hours of Tuesday morning, where residents of Harwood Street noticed the gigantic snake slithering along the road.

A video shot by local resident Aftab Ali shows an officer wrapping a towel around the snake's head to prevent it from biting him.

Three officers then gently lift the snake and struggle to carry it, until a fourth officer joins the team effort.

Aftab Ali told the Express & Star that residents had been left "traumatised" as a result of the incident, in which the snake "fought to escape".

Aftab said: "First of all I'd like to thank the West Midlands Police team, our heroes for coming out and rescuing this 12-foot python.

"It has left us as residents traumatised. It was a horrific, scary night, to witness this 12-foot python which was fighting against a team to escape.

"This could have been any one of us walking down the street, our kids could have been walking down the street, and we are just so glad that it's off the street and it's been rescued.

"I think we've had a similar incident a few months ago in Aston Park where a snake was found and it was rescued by police, so thank you West Midlands Police."

West Midlands Police responded to the incident after receiving a call at 1.30am on Tuesday, during which time the RSPCA could not attend the scene.

Thankfully, the impressive snake was safely rescued and was transferred to a nearby vets for overnight care.

A spokesperson for West Midlands Police said: "Our officers are not easily rattled when it comes to responding to unusual calls as we deal with a huge variety of incidents."

This is not the first time the force has rescued a large snake, having performed a similar rescue on Park Lane in Birmingham back in June.

Officers rescued the large boa constrictor by gently manoeuvring the creature into a pillowcase before taking it for checks at a local reptile centre.