Plastic king cobra sparks Workington RSPCA call-out

A woman thought she saw the snake move

An escaped king cobra which sparked an emergency call-out to the police and RSPCA turned out to be a plastic toy.

A woman raised the alarm after spotting the snake on a chair in a garden in Workington, Cumbria, on Wednesday.

RSPCA inspector Martyn Fletcher said he quickly realised it wasn't real, adding: "Thankfully too as they are deadly venomous snakes."

The toy has been safely returned to neighbouring children, Mr Fletcher said.

Mr Fletcher said the woman believed she saw the snake move in a garden in Westfield Avenue, prompting her to call her son who contacted the emergency services.

The toy has been returned to its owners

The inspector said: "It's really important in these situations to confine the animal as safely as possible, particularly if it's suspected that the snake may be venomous.

"However, it didn't take me too long to realise that this king cobra was the plastic kind - thankfully too as they are deadly venomous snakes.

"Obviously we are trained to be able to identify snakes but it is not so obvious to members of the public - so I understand they may have been spooked by the sighting.

"I have been to a few snake jobs where they have turned out to be toys but have also rescued the real deal too - so you just never know what you might be dealing with."