A highly poisonous green mamba which escaped from its enclosure at a home in Tilburg on Monday still hasn’t been found, local council officials have said.

The council is calling on people not to approach the snake if they spot it, or try to catch it, as its bite can be lethal.

The owner of the two-metre-long green mamba said the snake may be hiding in a warm place inside the house at Goudenregenstraat but experts, helped by a specially trained dog, are also searching a wider area.

Nature television pundit Freek Vonk said the snake is “extremely dangerous” but that the cold weather has probably stopped the snake from venturing outside. “But there is no guarantee and it’s a good thing the public has been warned,” he told Nu.nl.

The snake will not bite unless it feels threatened but it is also a nervous animal which will strike at the least provocation. “Call 112 if it bites you, and do it quickly,” he said.

Green mambas, which live in the west of Africa, are allowed to be kept as pets in the Netherlands.