A mechanic completing a routine oil filter change on a Ford Focus "almost had a heart attack" after finding a huge snake in the engine.
Curt Mcquade, a mechanic in Prescot, was working on the car after a customer brought it in for a service before it went to a new owner in Birmingham. After looking under the bonnet, Curt and his colleagues were astonished to find a large snake looking back at them.
The reptile, believed to be a corn snake, was being kept as a pet in a property near to the owner of the car. It has reportedly been missing since December, and had seemingly slithered into the car's engine to rest.
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Curt told the ECHO: "My colleague found it and initially nearly had a heart attack as it's not something you expect to find as a mechanic in this country, then me and my boss had to basically dismantle the front of the car to get it to a point that someone was able to grab it safely.
"On the plus side the owner came forward after seeing the post on Facebook, a girl around 14-15 years of age who had lost the snake in December last year so the snake had survived for just over seven months. The owner of the car lives on the same street as the girl so it hadn't really moved far from her house ironically, so there is no telling how long that snake had been holed up in that car's air intake."
Curt's Facebook post attempting to track down the snake's owner received more than 100 comments. One said: "I wish there was a video of the face of whoever opened the bonnet and found that looking back at them! I love snakes but would still have jumped a mile if I found one unexpectedly in my car engine."
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