A STRATFORD woman had the shock of her life last week when she found a snake on her kitchen floor.
Mother-of-two Kamaljit Sanghu was shocked to find the small corn snake coiled up on her kitchen floor while doing the dishes.
She called the council for help and the authority sent pest control officer Paul Boller to her home.
Kamaljit said: “When I first saw the snake, I thought someone was playing a trick on me, but then I saw it move and knew it was real.
“I called the council straight away and within 10 minutes Paul was around here to remove it from the kitchen.
“I don’t know what I would’ve done if they weren’t available, there’s no way I was going to try and get rid of it.”
Paul identified the snake as a corn snake, commonly found in eastern parts of the United States.
He said: “I was shocked when I got the call to go and remove a snake from Kamaljit’s property, but got there straight away as I knew it was a pretty frightening situation.
“She was terrified, but when I reassured her that corn snakes aren’t venomous she calmed down.
“I was surprised because they’re not common in the United Kingdom. It’s quite a placid animal so it’s likely that it was once someone’s pet that has somehow escaped.”
Paul is now planning to keep the snake as a pet.