Ref. 31039-19THE original Houdini may be long gone but his serpent namesake is very much alive and slithering in Swindon.

The escapee snake has been reunited with owner Michael Beale two months after it slithered to freedom.

Warehouse operative Michael, 32, is overjoyed to see his 2ft corn snake again.

The sneaky serpent managed to find its way out of Michael's home in Somerville Road, into the loft of the Morrish family, a few streets away.

Last week, the Advertiser told how the family-of-eight were terrified when they spotted the snake dangling through a hole in the ceiling above the shower.

But now the two-and-a-half-year-old is back in its tank in the living room and doing well, according to Michael.

"I'm really happy to have him back," he said.

"After a while I thought I'd never see him again, although I'm surprised to hear he is a boy.

"When I bought him the pet shop said it was a girl, so I called it Shakira. Now Houdini seems more fitting."

Houdini, who is not poisonous, managed to get out of his tank when Michael was on holiday in Weymouth.

He said: "My dad was feeding him for me and must have left the lid off a bit. Friends at work said they'd seen a story in the Adver, so I thought I'd give it a go and see if it was my snake.

"Houdini eats dead mice twice a week and lives in a tank with stones, plastic plants and bark to hide under.

"I had always wanted a snake. I used to have fish but got fed up with cleaning the tank out."

Anita Morrish, 35, of Walcot, said: "Each time a member of the family went into the bathroom the snake would pop its browny-beige head through the gap and stare at us."

Alex Emery