Stoke-on-Trent man 'screamed' at snake find in bin

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The snakeImage source, RSPCA
Image caption,

Aclas Ighodaro found the corn snake in his wheelie bin as he went to put out rubbish

A man "jumped and screamed" after lifting the lid of his wheelie bin to find a three-and-a-half-foot snake inside.

Aclas Ighodaro had gone to put a bag of rubbish in the receptacle at his home on Wain Drive, Stoke-on-Trent, on Thursday when he made the discovery.

"When I lifted the lid and saw his body crawling through a hole in the bag, I jumped and screamed and ran," he said.

Dawn Burrell, an RSPCA inspector, came to collect the reptile.

"Even though this corn snake was harmless, it must nevertheless have been a huge shock for Mr Ighodaro," she said.

Mr Ighodaro said he had no idea how the snake got in the bin and "my family didn't believe me either until I sent them pictures".

"I didn't know what I was going to do as it was my rubbish collection the next day but I didn't want to open up the bin again."

The snake in the binImage source, RSPCA
Image caption,

The snake may be an escaped pet, the RSPCA believes.

The snake was taken to a vet in Shifnal, Shropshire, where staff noticed a lump in its stomach.

On taking an X-ray, it turned out to be its latest meal, suspected to be a rat.

Ms Burrell said it remained a mystery how the snake got in the bin.

"Corn snakes can be extremely good escape artists and will take the opportunity of fleeing through a gap or a loose-fitting lid, so it's possible that this particular snake is an escaped pet," she explained.

Corn snakes are a non-venomous species native to North America.

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