A member of staff from Cockermouth School introduced pupils to some of his pets this week - including an 11ft Burmese python.

Tom Woolley is one of the school's site managers. But he shares his Aspatria home with wife Nicola, three children and 28 reptiles.

The couple took two of their gekkos, a bearded dragon and three snakes to meet pupils.

The students enthusiastically rubbed their hands together to warm them up before handling the reptiles, some of them jumped at the chance to feed them live locusts.

They were all riveted as they watched Emmet the Bearded Dragon scuttle across the classroom floor and flick its tongue out to capture a lone locust, before crunching it in its mouth.

They passed round the delicate African Fat-Tailed Gekko and a Crested Cekko. Next out were Jim, a Royal Python, and Duo, a Brazilian Rainbow Boa.

"These are both types of constrictors which will squeeze their prey to death, they have no systems for injecting venom," said Nicola, before handing them round, pointing out they were too small to do any harm to people.

"They may wrap themselves around your arms but don't worry," she assured everyone, before explaining about their split jaw which allows them to open their mouths really wide and swallow prey.

Jordan Cooper, 13, has a corn snake called Willow at home.

"I really like snakes. Everyone assumes they will feel slippy but actually they're cold and polished. I like the texture of them," he said.

"My one can wrap itself round me and stay there for an hour."

Hannah Denwood, 13, liked the small gekkos. "They were adorable, I liked feeling them in the palm of my hand," she said.

The grand finale involved Eric, the 11ft albino Burmese Python.

He was too heavy to handle but the students had the opportunity to stroke him as he lay stretched across the classroom floor.

Reptile fanatic Kyle Wylie, 15, was in his element. Kyle has a Crested Gekko and two Yellow-Headed Dwarf Gekkos.

"I like reptiles, they're cute. Whenever we go on holiday I'm most interested in finding reptiles," he said.

"When we went to Cuba I saw a rat snake and some gekkos, in Costa Rica I saw black iguanas."

Tom and Nicola run Reptile Encounters. "We don't do this all the time, as the animals wouldn't like it and we each have other jobs," said Nicola.

"We just like getting into schools, meeting children and sharing facts and information with them.

"Having these experiences with animals broadens their understanding. It means they're not scared of them, and care about them."