HORNCASTLE NEWS (UK) 15 September 10 Greetham woman finds snakes in her toilet
A Greetham woman was given the shock of her life when she discovered two live snakes in her toilet.
Sally Davies was so taken aback by the sight that she ran out of the room and locked the door to the loo – to keep her unwanted intruders away from her. But not before taking photographic evidence of the reptiles and contacting the Horncastle News.
“There’s a snake in my toilet,” said Sally when she called The News to let us know of her find last Thursday.
“I thought it was a joke and someone had put a plastic one there, but when it moved I knew it wasn’t.”
It is believed that the two scaly squatters had made their way into the home through pipes.
And this would not be a surprise to the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust, based at Banovallum House in Horncastle.
Conservation assistant Clare Sterling confirmed the toilet terrors were in fact grass snakes and not adders, as Sally had thought. Miss Sterling told The News: “Grass snakes are a more widespread species than adders and are often found associated with water.”
Grass snakes may hunt in water, but making their way into homes – especially into toilets – is extremely rare for this country.
Lucy Benyon, wildlife information officer for national wildlife charity Froglife, said: “We haven’t heard of anything like this before and it’s very unusual to find a snake inside a house, let alone in a toilet.”
“Grass snakes normally hunt in places like ponds and canals, so we can only imagine that it found a way in, attracted by the water.
“They are the snake that people are most likely to spot in their garden.
“Snakes are generally very secretive and tend to shy away from human disturbance.
“Grass snakes are harmless to humans and, like all native reptiles, are protected by law.”
When Sally returned to the scene she was pleased to see the uninvited guests had left by the same way they had entered.
But fearing a return visit she vowed: “We have two more loos, fortunately. But I have learned to always check in the future.”
* Have you ever found a snake in your house - or even your toilet? If so, let us know by emailing horncastle.news@jpress.co.uk or writing to us at Horncastle News, Church Lane, Horncastle, LN9 5HW.
Greetham woman finds snakes in her toilet