Imagine a jumble sale, but instead of bric-a-brac and cast-off clothes, the stall offered live animals for sale.

​In pet shops and other commercial premises, snakes are typically kept in conditions so cramped that they cannot stretch to their full length.

​In the UK, there are very few restrictions on the types of animals that can be kept as pets. For instance, it is legal to own a skunk, alligator snapping turtle or a 3-metre long boa constrictor with no paperwork required!