An animal abuse and neglect case could be launched after a pet snake which had “severely infected burns” was reportedly found dumped.

The boa constrictor, which was also said to be dehydrated and underweight, was discovered in a knotted double duvet in Roundshaw Downs on August 20.

Now authorities are being contacted following the incident in a bid to find the people who were responsible.

Elizabeth Kane, founder of Forget Me Not Wildlife Rescue, said: “It was in a double duvet, which was knotted, and the finders’ dog alerted him to it and he took it home.

“I went round there and saw the extent of the injuries and rushed it straight to the vets.

“Words can’t even describe what I thought when I saw it. It was shocking. It was very upsetting, I did actually get very upset over it."

The snake was taken to Avenue Road Veterinary Surgery, in Avenue Road, where some staff were said to be “shocked” and “very upset” by the incident.

Her injuries involved previous burns which had become scarred as well as a new burn.

Although the snake is “not in a very good way”, there is belief she will survive.

Ms Kane is hoping to establish a case quickly but needs to liaise further with the RSPCA and police.

It has been suggested the owners of the boa constrictor are known, however, their identities remain unconfirmed.

She added: “Hopefully they [the owners] will learn that they need to look after animals properly, but this also brings it to people’s attention that if there is a problem then there are people there to help.

“If they had taken it to Wallington Animal Rescue – or even myself – and said, ‘Look this has happened, it’s an accident, I can’t cope with it, can you take it?’, we’d have helped.

“We are there to help and advise. We can’t always act on it very quickly if it’s just a rehoming case but we can point you in the right direction.”

The number of boas collected by the RSPCA, of all types, has more than doubled - from 49 in 2016 to 106.

Moreover, 792 snakes were collected by their officers in last year alone.

Sutton Guardian has contacted the RSPCA for further comment.