Firefighters got a slippery surprise when they were called to rescue a lady who had found a snake on her landing.

The elderly woman had left her lounge in Hildaville Drive, Westcliff, and came face to face with the four foot long reptile.

She immediately called the emergency services.

A fire service spokesman said: "We didn't have a clue what sort of snake it was or how it got there, and neither did the lady.

"It didn't look very happy but it didn't look too dangerous."

The crew donned their gloves and coaxed the snake into a bag before taking it back to their station where it was handed over to the RSPCA.

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