A five-year-old boy was alarmed to find a royal python inside his toilet when he lifted the lid.

The boy discovered the scaly visitor last Wednesday when he wanted to use the toilet at his home in Southend. When he found the snake, he rushed to tell his mother, who initially thought it was a prank.

She then headed upstairs and lifted the lid with a broom, the snake poked its head out and flicked its tongue at her. She panicked and immediately called snake handlers to the rescue.

Rob Yeldham, owner of the Scales and Fangs shop in Leigh, came to pick up the unwanted guest.

“It didn’t take me long to get the snake out of the toilet. I just lifted the lid, picked up the snake with a hook and put it in a box.”

Mr Yeldham told The Echo the snake is a three-foot juvenile male python name Reggie who belongs to a man living in Southend.

The owner had been looking for his snake for two months. He thought all hope was lost until the story appeared on the news and he quickly got in touch with Mr Yeldham.

“The owner moved into his house two months ago. As he lifted the snake’s vivarium into the house, the air vent became loose and Reggie managed to knock the vent off during the night and escaped. 

“Snakes become active during the night and when he escaped he worked his way up to the air vents of the building.

“He must have taken the wrong turn and ended up in the sewage system of the lady’s house and wandered his way into the toilet.”

Reggie, believed to be between 18 months to two-years-old, is now with Mr Yeldham in his shop.

"The owner gave away his enclosure after he thought Reggie was gone for good. Once a new enclosure has been arranged Reggie will return home.

“Reggie is doing fine. He’s had skin problems because of the bleach in the toilet. Some snakes might get agitated when they found themselves in a different environment but when I found Reggie he was quite active.”

He added Royal pythons are native to Africa and they are not aggressive. Male pythons grow up to three and a half feet while females grow up to five feet.

“Royal pythons are not dangerous and they’re very placid. They are not prone to bite. Americans nickname them as ‘ball pythons’ because their first form of defence is to coil up into a ball, unlike other snakes which usually put themselves in a striking position.

"We only get about two calls a year about snakes escaping their enclosure, but they usually end up in people's gardens. I've been doing this for 10 years and I have never found one in the toilet."