Workmen who had been called to fix a leak at a vacant shop were shocked when they found a live snake inside the property.
Staff from Humber Homes Heating Ltd were called to the shop on Freeman Street in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, and when they lifted up the shutters to unlock the door, they saw a red milk snake.
The animal was nestled between the door and shutters and it is believed it could have been there for up to two weeks.
Daniel Evans, 31, who helped to rescue the animal, said: "We got called out to a leak in a shop and we were meeting the shop owners there, and as we lifted up the shutter door you could just see the snake sat in the corner."
After borrowing a pillowcase from a person living in a flat above the shop, Daniel captured the snake and took it to the nearby Blue Cross Animal Hospital.
An appeal was issued to the snake's owner to come forward but nobody came forward - including the tenants of the flats above, reports Grimsby Live.
The creature is now being cared for at the Exotics of the World shop on Grimsby Road.
Daniel said: "It was really cold and that's why it didn't move very much, it didn't seem to get aggressive so it's probably someone's pet that has gone missing. It would be nice if the owner came forward.
"We've been in almost all the flats and asked if it's their pet but no one seems to be claiming it."
He said the last time the shop owner visited the property was about two weeks ago, meaning the snake could have been there for the entire time.
Daniel said: "This was a first, and I've been doing this job for 11 or 12 years."
Milk snakes are non-venomous New World snakes commonly found throughout North and South America.
They are popular pets that can be kept in captivity - and are not aggressive unless they feel threatened.
LiveScience explains that milk snakes are generally solitary and primarily nocturnal, being most active at night and dusk.
They are carnivores and eat a wide variety of prey, including mammals and birds.
