The 12-year-old Whitburn C of E School pupil's corn snake Twizzle slithered out through a small gap in his tank.

After searching for weeks, Ryan, of East Boldon gave up hope of ever seeing it again.

However, while helping to do some gardening with his aunt Susan Moses, Ryan came across Twizzle curled up in a knothole in a tree in his back garden.

And, despite needing regular feeding and hot conditions to survive, the snake had not only braved the great outdoors - but had also doubled in size!

Ryan said: "I didn't know whether to be scared or excited because he had been living in the wild.

"But I knew it was him, and he's happy to be back in his tank and back to normal.

"With the weather getting colder, I don't think he would have survived much longer."

Ryan had only had Twizzle, named by Ryan's eight-year-old sister Sophie, for three months when it went missing in June.

He added: "I looked for him everywhere and pulled stuff out in every room, but I couldn't find him.

"We put water everywhere because he needs it to survive and I was looking out for him, but eventually I lost hope of ever finding him."

"I hit the tree with a stick and Twizzle popped his head out of a hole. I couldn't believe it, so I did it again.

"My mum thought I'd put a plastic snake in the tree and then told me to put my hand in and get him, but I used the washing line to coax him out and into a fishing net, then I put him straight in his tank.

"He'd obviously found somewhere warm, and he was doing OK for food because he had something in his stomach."

Twizzle has been given a clean bill of health by the pet shop he was bought from.

Ryan added: "The pet shop owner was amazed he was still alive, but he checked him out for us and he said he was really healthy.

"He's about twice the size he was, so whatever he's been eating has been quite good.

"My friends can't believe I've found him after all this time. I don't think anyone can."