LANCASHIRE EVENING POST (Preston, UK) 16 November 06 Mum bitten by snake in bed
Photo at URL below: The fang marks on Sue Hall’s leg were believed to have been made by an adder
Hospital staff have confirmed the bite mark on 44-year-old Sue Hall's leg was from a snake.
The reptile has not yet been found and experts have confirmed it is an adder which may have escaped from somebody's home.
Mum of two Mrs Hall, of Marina Grove, Lostock Hall, woke with agonising pain in her left leg last Friday night.
On Sunday, she noticed a strange mark had appeared.
A colleague convinced her to seek hospital help on Tuesday, by which time she was in serious pain.
Consultants told Mrs Hall she had been bitten by a snake and a local vet in Lostock Hall put in her in touch with a reptile expert.
He was worried the effects of any venom could be masked by antibiotics she has been taking for a kidney infection.
She went to the Royal Preston Hospital and blood samples were sent to the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine.
They gave her a clean bill of health, but Sue is now worried for the safety of her children and others if the snake is not found.
The Preston care home manager said: "If we don't find it soon it means there is a snake on the loose somewhere.
"The fact that I'm still breathing is a good sign but I have two children and if they are bitten it could be a different thing."
The RSPCA said snake bites in Lancashire are very rare.
Mark Whitworth, co-owner of the Reptile Room, in Cleveleys, said: "Snakes can escape quite easily.
"Adders are poisonous and their bite could easily put a person in hospital. We would advise people not to handle it if they see it."
Reptile expert Neil Trickett said: "You can tell by the size and shape of the teeth marks on her leg that they were definitely made by an adder.
"It's unlikely to be anything else. We haven't found it though."
Mum bitten by snake in bed