EVENING TELEGRAPH (Peterborough, UK) 09 June 08 Grandma comes face to face with snake (Tim Goddard)
A ssssslippery customer, thousands of miles from home, gave a city pensioner the fright of her life.
June Ward (78), of Warbon Avenue, Peterborough, couldn't believe her eyes when she came face to face with a snake curled up in her garage.
The albino corn snake, normally found in the wild in North America, is thought to have escaped from a nearby property.
Mrs Ward contacted the RSPCA, who sent an officer to her home and removed the reptile to a temporary location, while awaiting the owner to come forward.
Mrs Ward said: "I was shocked and couldn't believe my eyes at first. Snakes are the one thing I really can't stand.
"I called my daughter, who was in the house with me, to have a look. She thought I was playing a trick on her.
"To begin with I thought I might have brought it in the house with my fruit and vegetables, but then realised it must have escaped from somewhere.
"We knew it wasn't a British snake, so I called the RSPCA. They said it was only about a year old and could not have travelled far. I can't imagine why anyone would want to keep something like that as a pet."
Her grandson, Ben Davis (23), from Stanground, Peterborough, who went over, said: "It was curled up, and when I went closer to have a look, the snake speedily slithered away down the side of a box. It was a bit unnerving."
An RSPCA spokesman said: "A member of the public contacted our National Control Centre to report a snake which was curled up asleep in their garage.
"An RSPCA animal collection officer visited the property, where the homeowner had isolated the snake by placing a box over it, so it could not escape.
"The snake was taken to the RSPCA's East Winch Wildlife Centre, in Norfolk, before being given a temporary home by a local expert while it waits for its owners to claim their pet.
"It is not unusual for callers to report finding small corn snakes in their homes which have managed to escape from elsewhere. If someone finds a snake and is unsure whether it is native or exotic, the RSPCA's advice would be to always assume the snake is dangerous.
"If the snake is native to the UK and outside in a safe environment, people should leave it alone."
Grandma comes face to face with snake