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

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 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.