A PETRIFIED young Trowbridge woman got the shock of her life after discovering that a foot-long ‘lizard like creature’ was scuttling around her flat.

Bella Hunt, of Soprano Way, was about to prepare her dinner on Monday night when she saw a black and white reptile race across her kitchen floor and then under her cooker.

The horrified 22-year-old called her housing association, Selwood Housing, and the RSPCA but she said they would not respond to a call like this.

After enduring more than two days of not knowing where the creature was and barely getting a wink of sleep, Bella bought some crickets, and put them in a box, after hearing that they are good at luring out lizards.

Sure enough, the reptile could not resist. It climbed into the box and Bella was able to contain it before a reptile specialist, who she found on Facebook, came to collect the Leopard print gecko on Wednesday evening.

Bella told the Wiltshire Times: “I was absolutely petrified. I thought it was a bearded dragon at first or a lizard like creature."

“I moved in her six weeks ago so maybe the previous owner kept it here. This proves the housing association do not check the place properly.

“It was really big and had black and white spots. It then went under the cupboard boards so I pulled them off but I didn't see it for two days.

"I then bought some crickets to make it come out.

"Selwood said as it wasn't a pest or rodent problem they weren't going to help, which was not very helpful, and the RSCPA said I had to catch it myself and then they would get it.

"I stayed out of my flat as much as I could and went to my mum's.

"I found a person called Phillip Thornton (who is a reptile specialist and breeder for Trowbridge's Pet Planet) on Facebook who then collected it after it was in the cardboard box.

"I had to pick it up, it was absolutely disgusting."

Miss Hunt is worried that more creatures may be in her flat too.

"If Selwood didn't pick up the gecko, there may be more things lurking around," she said.