Slow worm  (Anguis fragilis)

Widespread throughout Britain, but most common in the south and east of England (2). This species also has a broad distribution in continental Europe, where it is found from Scandinavia south to northern Spain and Portugal, and eastwards to southwest Asia and western Siberia (2).

The slow worm is found in a wide range of open habitats, it tends to take refuge under stones, planks of wood or sheets of corrugated iron in the sun, rather than basking. They are commonly found in gardens and compost heaps, where food is plentiful and the rotting plant material creates warm conditions (4).