A Scottish family was met an unexpected visitor when they popped into their late aunt's flat in to pick up the mail.
Paul Lawrie, 53, and his 28-year-old daughter Abigail, who live in Musselburgh, could not believe their eyes when they came face to face with a live 4ft-long snake which was in the kitchen sink of the Market Street property on Saturday.
Mr Lawrie, of Delta Avenue, a case maintenance technician with City Facilities, said: "We went to the flat to pick up the mail and check everything was ok when my daughter went into the kitchen and said: 'I didn't know she had a toy snake?'
"It looked like a toy and I went to pick it up but when I touched it, I thought, 'That's not a toy?
"It coiled its neck back so I stepped back out of its reach.
"I then phoned my mate in Aberdeen who works for the SSPCA (Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) and he said it was a corn snake which wasn't venomous and told me to contact the SSPCA locally."
He explained that an SSPCA officer arrived half-an-hour-later to remove the reptile, coaxing it from between the dishwasher and worktop.
A check was carried out to see if the snake belonged to neighbours but it did not, so the search for its owner continues.
"It's not the sort of thing you expect to find in a flat in Musselburgh," said Mr Lawrie who was brought up in the town, attending Loretto RC Primary School and St David's High School in Dalkeith.
Mr Lawrie's aunt, who moved to Musselburgh from Falkirk two weeks before her death last month, had not lived in the flat.
Senior animal rescue officer Sarah Auldsmith said: "The Scottish SPCA was contacted on January 7 regarding a corn snake that had been found in a kitchen of a property in Market Street, Musselburgh.
"I attended the address and, after enquiring with neighbouring properties for more information, removed the snake from the premises. The animal was then taken to one of our centres where they will be cared for while we try to reunite them with their owner.
"If anybody finds themselves in a similar situation we would ask them to call our helpline on 03000 999 999."
A spokesperson for the SSPCA said the snake wasn't poisonous but added: "They are not an aggressive kind of snake but can still bite, as with any snakes, if they are stressed or feel threatened. They are a common snake for people to have as pets."
