A HUGE serpent is on the loose in Bradford - but fangfully it won't bite, it's just part of a community's effort to have some lockdown fun.

The Covid-19 stone snake has grown around the Westwood Park area of Clayton Heights and currently is made up of some 400 painted segments.

It's slithering its way through the trees and along the pavement as part of the locals crafty way to entertain the area's children - and, it turns out, a lot of adults too!

Sharon Berriman and Sarah Jackson are behind the initiative on Facebook that has seen stick people, fairy gates, rainbows, butterflies and a growing number of painted stones decorate the area and give residents something to look for as part of their daily exercise regime.

Sharon said: "One lady on the estate painted rainbows on stones so I decided to do that.

"Sarah created stick people, we created a Facebook group and then people started making fairy homes.

"It gives something for kids to do during their lockdown exercise."

Among the illustrated stones and pebbles are animals, faces, names and geometric designs.

The head of the serpent is one of those which takes the shape of the stone as its inspiration.

Sharon said the snake came out of a suggestion in the Facebook group - which now boasts more than 200 members and grew out of the more serious Westwood Park group.

The Covid-19 snake is one of dozens appearing across the country in a lockdown phenomenon.

The idea has also spread to Queensbury where a similar serpent is starting to snake around the village.

The phenomenon sees rocks painted with colourful designs and laid end to end to resemble a snake, with anyone free to add one to the end, creating a giant craft project for communities to take part in together even though social distancing measures mean they are not allowed to congregate.

"It's some fun for the kids, they need an outlet," Sharon added. "It's adults as well, everybody on the estate."

She said the craft items made walking around the wooded area more interesting. Among the new items being left are bags of sweets and crocheted rainbows supporting the NHS.

"It's boosting people's spirits.

"Queensbury have got a stone group. Stones are appearing from there and our stones are appearing on theirs."

Resident Sarah Howlett praised the initiative: "Over the last week members of the community have started leaving painted pebbles along a pavement near a popular walking track. People keep adding them on. It has a Facebook page which is called ‘Westwood Park sticks stones and fairy homes’.

"With the current situation I think this is a breath of fresh air and love seeing the snake get longer, as it is at the end of my drive."