There are two species of snake that may be seen in our district; Grass Snake and Adder.

Grass Snakes can be olive green, brown or grey with black dots and usually have a yellow or white collar behind the head. When mature it is the largest British snake measuring up to 100cm in length. Grass snakes generally live in woodlands but can be found close to ponds, lakes and rivers. They hibernate in Autumn and do not appear until Spring.

The Adder or Viper has a distinctive continuous dark zig-zag pattern along the back, if male they are generally grey in colour and females tend to be reddish brown. They may grow to 60cm in length. Although adders are Britain's only poisonous snake they generally avoid human contact and bites are not common and rarely fatal.

Slow-worms can often be mistaken for snakes although they are actually a legless species of lizard. Depending on their sex and age they can be; gold, grey or brown with a dark stripe on the back and occasionally with a few blue spots . Their length can reach 50cm and they feed mainly on slugs.

Law

All native British snakes are protected by law under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (as amended);

• It is illegal to intentionally kill or injure common lizards, slow-worms, adders and grass snakes.
• It is illegal to kill, injure, capture, handle or disturb sand lizards and smooth snakes and their places for breeding and resting are also protected from being damaged or destroyed and illegal to obstruct these areas.