A woman woke up from a daytime snooze to discover a three-foot long snake attempting to slither in through the window and into her bedroom in Essex.
The reptile, according to the RSCPA officer tasked with its removal, was a corn snake – a breed often harmless to humans and often bred for captivity in the UK since they do not have functional venom.
The woman was asleep at her home in Basildon, Essex, when she stirred to find the snake inching down the window frame.
Startled, the women left the bedroom, shut the door and phoned the RSPCA.
RSPCA officer Enola Evan, who had only been in the role for a month, was dispatched to the address to remove the scaly trespasser.
“It’s not every day you get woken up by a snake trying to get into your bedroom through a window - the woman was terribly shocked,” she said.
“By this time, there was no sign of the snake at the window, so the resident gave me permission to search her bedroom, in case it had come inside and hidden somewhere warm.”
After a thorough shake of the bed linen and a rummage through every possible hiding place in the room, Ms Evan said the snake was still nowhere to be found.
“As the window had been open for so long, it was getting quite chilly in there, so I decided to shut it. That’s when I spotted something moving,” she said.
“It was the snake, coiled around the window’s rim. He had been very well-hidden, so I was really pleased to find him.”
The corn snake, which was captured on 8 October, was moved into a carrier and taken to an expert boarding facility to be cared for until he could be reunited with his owner or put up for adoption.
Last year, the RSPCA received 1,219 reports about pet snakes in need of help, including many stray snakes.
A high number of calls came in during the summer months as snakes become more active during hot weather.
RSPCA scientific officer Evie Button said: “Snakes are excellent escape artists and will take the opportunity of a gap in an enclosure door, or a loose-fitting lid to make a break for it.”
Snake owners are urged to be vigilant, invest in an enclosure suitable for the species and make sure that enclosure is kept secure - and locked if necessary - when unattended.
