Firefighters were faced with one of the weirder incidents as they had to rescue a corn snake from inside a radiator on Slewins Lane, Hornchurch in the early hours of this morning.
A woman was treated by London Ambulance Service crews after suffering an electric shock while trying to free the serpent herself.
Watch Manager Bill Gough spoke to the Romford Recorder:
“We entered and found the snake in the radiator amongst plenty of other pet snakes and animals, even some tarantulas.
“It was a very long snake of vivid blue and grey. It was very scary - lots of hissing and snapping - it was trying to bite everyone.
“We have been out to snakes and other strange animals before but never one stuck in a radiator.”
The incident comes at a time when the Brigade is asking people to call the RSPCA in the first instance if they see an animal trapped.
Our advice
• Never put yourself at risk to save an animal
• Where possible, keep an eye on your pets to avoid them getting into tricky situations
• Remember, the RSPCA will call London Fire Brigade if needed
The Brigade was called at 0150 and the incident was over by 0224. A crew from Hornchurch fire station attended the scene.