A FAMILY who set out to find the city’s new snail residents ended up meeting a national television host.

Elizabeth O’Reilly, from Shoreham, and her two children, Lily, seven, and Bobby, five, were visiting Conch in Gloucester Road, Brighton, when they bumped into chat show host Jonathan Ross.

Elizabeth said: “We bumped into him in North Laine yesterday, he was very friendly and chatty.

“My daughter said to him ‘I bet you have met lots of famous people’. He said yes, more famous than myself.”

The snail is designed by Emma Fish and Ashley Woods and is one of 50 artworks in the city for the Snailspace trail.

The giant molluscs form an art trail raising funds for the Martlets hospice in Hove which is hoping to repeat the success of the Snowdogs campaign in 2016.

Imelda Glackin, chief executive of Martlets said: “It looks like Wossy had a snail of a time getting up close and personal with our ‘Punktured’ snail, Conch.

“Looks like he might even want to keep one of Conch’s piercings for himself.

“We’d love him to join us for the auction in December as we sure one of our giant snails would be a snailtastic addition to his garden.”

If you’re snail hunting, make sure you see The Argus’s snail Bellisimo in Steine Gardens.

For more snail action turn to page 32.