Woman terrified to go to the toilet after snake slithers out in bathroom in Burnley

A childcare worker is too scared to use the bathroom in her own home – after opening the lid to discover a snake in the water.

Kacey-Leigh Moss went to use the loo around 6 am when she said she suddenly saw a snake’s head on her toilet seat.

The 21-year-old ran to fetch her boyfriend Harvey – who didn’t believe her – and called the RSPCA to retrieve it.

A representative for the RSPCA arrived later in the morning, only to find the snake had gone back down the pipes.

Kacey-Leigh, from Burnley in Lancashire, said: ‘I woke up at about 6 am to go to the toilet and as I turned the light on and got closer to the toilet I could see a snake’s head lying on the toilet seat.

‘As I got closer it was all spiralled inside the toilet. I just completely froze. I’d never been so scared in my life.’

Kacey-Leigh said she and her boyfriend began Facetiming people – who didn’t believe them, so she posted the photos on Facebook.

She added: ‘Harvey tried to get some close-up pictures of it and as he’d gotten close to it, it kind of jumped at him.

‘We googled possible places where they could come and collect it. The RSPCA didn’t open until eight so we had to wait two hours to be able to ring them. They said it’s quite an unusual situation. It’s very rare obviously in the UK.’

Kacey-Leigh said the RSCPA worker tried to use a hook to help the snake slither out – but the creature’s stomach was stuck in the pipe, forcing it to wriggle further down.

‘I feel awful that it’s potentially lurking in my pipes still. I’m petrified, I can’t even go for a wee. Luckily I’ve not needed the toilet yet but when I do I don’t know what I’m going to do.’

She said the RSPCA worker said it might be a corn snake and that if Kacey-Leigh saw the snake again, they would come back out to collect it.

Kacey-Leigh said: ‘I don’t know whether it’s from the sewers, whether it’s somebody’s pet that’s escaped from my street. I genuinely don’t know.

‘The RSPCA woman said it’s not likely that the snake would want to be in the water so she was confused as to why it went back down because they don’t tend to live in water because they can’t breathe.

‘I feel like I can’t rest until I find it. I’m just glad it wasn’t in my bed instead. I’m definitely glad I didn’t use the toilet before realising it was in there.

‘I’ve definitely got a phobia of them now.’

An RSPCA spokesperson said: ‘It must have been quite a shock for the householder to see a snake popping their head up in the toilet!

‘The resident who contacted the RSPCA for help told our Animal Rescue Officer (ARO) that the toilet hadn’t been flushing very well for a few weeks, so this slithery visitor may have been lurking in the pipes for some time.

‘The snake was a harmless corn snake, though unfortunately, it disappeared back around the U-bend before she was able to catch it. She has promised to make a return visit if it reappears.’

‘Snakes are talented escape artists and will take the opportunity of a gap in an enclosure door, or a loose-fitting lid to make a ‘run’ for it, so the RSPCA advises owners to ensure vivariums are kept secure, and locked if necessary, to prevent accidental escape.’

The RSPCA said they’ve found snakes in vacuum cleaners, ovens and a kitchen drawer.

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