A search is under way after a python escaped from captivity near Wandsworth Prison in south-west London. The incident has prompted concern because the snake is loose in a populated urban area, although the available report does not state whether anyone has been harmed.

The animal was described as a “fugitive” python and was reported to have escaped less than a mile from the prison. Authorities or those responsible for the search are attempting to locate it, but no further details about the snake’s size, species or escape circumstances were provided.