Family's shock at finding 3ft snake in garage

June and Doug Plumb, who live in Pagham, near Bognor Regis, first spotted the reptile slither into their property’s garage on Friday, June 17.

Doug said: “We first noticed it on Friday, my wife saw it going in, and we’ve been looking for it ever since.

“We pulled out the fridge earlier today (Monday, June 20), and that’s when we saw it wrapped around the motor keeping warm.

“Me and my son John managed to get it with a hook thing and a stick and drop it into a container.

“When we first tried it did go for us so we stayed away from its head.”

They took it to a pet shop in Bersted, who told them it was a corn snake which was almost certainly a pet which had escaped.

“It was about three foot long, was brown and green with a black zig-zag pattern and a very small head,” Doug added.

“We did contact the RSPCA who didn’t want to know.

“Luckily none of us are afraid of snakes.”

Corn snakes are often mistaken for the venomous copperhead snake and killed as a result.

They are venomless snakes which are harmless to humans and prey on mice and rats that eat harvested corn.

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