A TEN foot long python found dead under a fallen tree in Northfleet is likely to have been killed by a blow to the head. 

A member of the public called the police after coming across the trapped snake in Wallis Park at around 10am yesterday.

Officers contacted the RSPCA who sent animal collection officer Brian Milligan to the scene.

It is thought the Burmese python, believed to be a young adult but whose sex has not yet been ascertained, had been dead for between 24 and 48 hours before it was discovered.

A major crushing injury to the snake's skull is unlikely to have been caused by the falling tree but more probably by a blunt instrument. 

It is unclear whether it died prior to being placed under the tree so the RSPCA is encouraging anybody with any information to call 0300 123 8018.

Investigations are ongoing to try and firmly establish how the snake died and who owned it. 

The Burmese python is one of the five largest snakes in the world, native to a variety of tropical and subtropical parts of Southern and Southeast Asia.

The snake found in Northfleet is large for one reared in captivity, though in the wild individual animals average 12ft long and may reach up to 19ft or 5.74 metres.