A Bristol woman's relaxing bath was rudely interrupted when she saw what she thought was a "slithering snake" creep out of a vent.
The animal turned out to be a massive slow worm - and the RSPCA had to be called to remove it.
Ellie Jones, an RSPCA animal collection officer, said: “I think I’d have almost drowned if I’d have been lying in the bath enjoying a relaxing soak when I spotted a slithering snake in the vent above me.
“Luckily for this lady, what she thought was a snake turned out to be a harmless slow worm.”
Ellie was able to slide the slow worm out of the vent and free it into a nearby field.
She added: “It was a slightly tricky rescue as we had to free him with the bathroom lights switched off.
“When the light was on it activated the fan in the vent and we didn’t want the slow worm to get injured.
“Thankfully I was able to wriggle him free.”
Though often mistaken for snakes, slow worms are in fact legless lizards and are widespread throughout Britain.
They grow to around 40cm in length and can be distinguished from snakes by their smaller size, eyelids and flat forked tongues.
