British couple open oven, find African snake

Oct. 3 (UPI) -- Animal rescuers in Britain were called to the home of an elderly couple who opened up their oven and discovered a 3-foot African snake.

The RSPCA said an inspector was sent to the couple's Stockport, England, home when they first spotted the snake in their oven, but the reptile had managed to hide itself efficiently by the time the rescuer arrived.

The couple summoned the inspector back to their home two days later when they opened up the oven to cook some fries and came face to face with the African brown house snake.

"When I opened the oven door and saw it I got the shock of my life. I have recently had a cataract operation and was wondering if my eyes were deceiving me -- but my husband saw it too," the 82-year-old woman said.

"We are big animal lovers and just wanted to make sure the snake was safe so we were pleased that he was rescued by the RSPCA," she said. "I gave the 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."

Inspector Andy Harris said he was surprised by the size of the snake.

"When I arrived I expected to find a small corn snake but this snake was quite long -- at least three foot. It was an African brown house snake, which is a non-venomous species, so I suspect that he is a pet that has escaped or been abandoned," he said.

The RSPCA shared video of Harris removing the serpent from the oven.

"It must have squeezed through a wall cavity of this couple's home and there is a hole at the back of the oven where the gas jets come up so was probably attracted by the warmth. It was lucky the couple didn't pre-heat the oven first," he said.

The RSPCA is now trying to find the animal's owner.