A reported sighting of a venomous adder at a nursery in Port Talbot has been dismissed as mistaken identity, according to a school governor. The nursery at Eastern Primary School in Taibach was closed on Tuesday after a workman claimed to have seen the snake while cutting grass on Monday.
Chair of governors John Rogers said the decision to close the nursery, which serves up to 30 children aged three to four, was taken out of caution. 'We didn't know if there were other snakes there. The guy cutting the grass saw it and said it was an adder, so you have to be cautious,' he explained.
A snake expert from Llanelli, Carmarthenshire, visited the school on Tuesday and found no evidence of a snake. Mr Rogers confirmed that the nursery would reopen on Wednesday. The adder is the UK's only native venomous snake, though bites are rare and typically occur when the snake is handled.
