An elderly couple faced the “shock of their lives” as they opened their oven to find a 3ft snake at their home in Stockport, Greater Manchester.
The couple were preparing to cook some chips as they came across the African brown snake.
“When I opened the oven door and saw it I got the shock of my life,” the 82-year-old woman, who wished to remain anonymous, said.
“I have recently had a cataract operation and was wondering if my eyes were deceiving me – but my husband saw it too.”
She had called the RSPCA on Wednesday, 26 September, and they sent an inspector, Andy Harris, to their home, but Mr Harris could not find the snake and left empty handed.
However, two days later the snake reappeared, so the couple called the inspector again and they were able to remove the snake.
The elderly woman said: “I gave the RSPCA inspector a big hug and a cup of tea afterwards, but I went off the idea of oven chips so sent my husband to the fish and chip shop instead.”
Mr Harris said the snake was not venomous and was likely an escaped pet: “It must have squeezed through a wall cavity of this couple’s and was probably attracted by the warmth. “
The inspector added: “It was lucky the couple didn’t pre-heat the oven first.”
African brown snakes are frequently found in homes in Africa and eat rodents, small lizards and birds.
