A young boy was left terrified after a three foot snake was found in his toilet.

The five-year-old child from Essex was horrified when he lifted the lid of his loo only to find the reptile coiled up looking at him while its head lay on the rim of the lavatory with its tail stretched into the pipe, the BBC has reported. The youngster's mother, Laura Cowell, said the toilet had been blocked for a few days but they didn't know what had caused the problem - until now.

The parent was worried the animal would creep out of the toilet into their home so she decided to put weights on top for several days, even after the snake was removed, to stop a repeat happening.

Laura said: ''I had to use a broom handle to life the lid, then out popped its head and its tongue came out as well.''

A specialist from Scales and Fangs pet shop rescued the baby royal python and explained it must have came up through the U-bend of the toilet.