A pensioner in Bracknell, Berkshire, was left stunned this week after discovering a snake at the bottom of his toilet. David Claridge, 79, lifted the lid of his downstairs toilet and found a reptile staring at him face to face.
The yellow and black snake was poking out of the bowl when he went to use the toilet on Tuesday morning. On closer inspection, he confirmed it was a grass snake, measuring roughly three feet.
Snake believed to have entered via drainage
Mr Claridge believes the snake found its way to his toilet through the drainage system, likely in search of water during the recent spell of hot weather. He said: "I thought I must be seeing things. But I looked again, and for sure it was there. And then it moved."
It was concluded that the grass snake was non-venomous and posed no danger, with Mr Claridge adding that he "felt no fear".
Handled with barbecue tongs
As a precaution, the 79-year-old used a pair of barbecue tongs to handle the snake rather than his bare hands. Gripping it just below its head, he carried it out into his garden to remove it from the property.
Though the snake initially attempted to head back into the house, Mr Claridge said: "I gave it a push and a nudge in the right direction, and then it found the grass and was gone."
Plumbing connection suspected
Mr Claridge reckons the snake made its way indoors through the plumbing. He explained: "I know this toilet and others discharge to a drain, and about a metre and a half away from there is a rainwater drain. I didn't realise the two were connected, and that's the only way I can imagine it must have come in."
A neighbour even thought the snake could have been their own missing pet, but it wasn't, and the man's spider python turned up safe the following day. Mr Claridge said: "I guess had it been in there for a long time, the poor thing would have died. I probably gave it a new lease of life."
