HUNTS POST (Huntingdon, UK) 04 August 08 Snakes and bladders! Surprise find in Huntingdon bathroom
A hairdresser had the shock of her life when a 4ft-long snake slid out of her toilet.
Jane Finnigan, 32, told The Hunts Post she could not believe her eyes when the reptile slithered out of the bathroom and across the landing of her Stukeley home.
"I didn't have a clue what it was. I did a double-take. I was carrying two cups of tea and did well not to spill them I was that shocked," she said.
"It reared up on its tail and I started shouting to wake everyone up."
After the initial shock, mother-of-two Jane called to her partner Daniel, who sprung into action and threw a blanket over the snake.
Warehouse worker Daniel, 28, also jumped over the snake to shut the door of their five-year-old son Brandon's bedroom.
Jane added: "The most frightening thing was not knowing whether or not it was poisonous and what it was going to do next."
What Jane didn't know was that the snake - a non-venomous rat snake - had disappeared from her next door neighbour's tank five weeks previously.
Her encounter with the snake happened at about 7.45am on Sunday, July 20.
After covering the snake, Daniel rushed next door to the neighbour, who came to retrieve his pet and apologised.
It is thought the reptile had been living in the system of pipes shared between the semi-detached properties.
Jane, who works at Alchemy hairdressers in Huntingdon, said: "I was creeped out for a while and was very jumpy whenever I went near the bathroom.
"I think that knowing where it came from has made it easier to handle."
The snake, which can bite if aggravated, has been reunited with Jane's neighbour, who has pledged to keep a tighter lid on its tank.
Snakes and bladders! Surprise find in Huntingdon bathroom