Solihull shop worker discovers snake slithering out of toilet
A Solihull shop worker who went to use the toilet came across a ‘slippery customer’ when a snake slithered out of the cistern.
Charity volunteer Peter Edge, 30, thought he was the victim of a practical joke at the Blue Cross shop on Station Road in the town centre – until he saw the creature’s head start to move.
After the initial shock, he managed to snap a picture of the unexpected visitor and call his assistant manager to the toilet, shouting “snake, snake.”
The pair tried to capture the corn snake in a picnic basket but it was too quick for them and slithered back down the toilet u-bend.
Shop manager Peter Edge said: “When I saw it I was in shock more than anything else. It’s not every day you see something like that.
“I thought it was a rubber snake at first and then it moved its head.
“There were two customers in the shop at the time and they saw the funny side.
“And I’m alive and breathing to tell the tale.”
The RSPCA and Severn Trent Water were called to locate the snake but have had no luck.
Assistant manager Amy Wallis, 26, said “We think it’s somewhere in the pipes. I only hope it doesn’t pop up someone else’s loo and give them a fright too.
“I heard this shrieking coming from the toilet. I thought Peter was just messing around when he told me it was a snake but then I saw it slithering around and realised he was being very serious.
“We have kept the toilet door firmly shut ever since and keep checking to see if he has poked his head up again but we haven’t seen it.
“I like snakes but I was still terrified when stood face-to-face with one.”
A spokeswoman from the animal welfare charity told ITV News: “Anyone who finds an escaped snake, or any pet or animal, please do call us on 0300 1234 999.”
* Corn snakes can grow up to 5 feet long
* Their life span is 10 -15 years
* They may bite under stress, but are not venomous
Read more: http://www.itv.com/news/2016-04-21/shop-worker-is-caught-short-when-a-snake-slithers-out-of-toilet/