Snake found hiding in van engine

The snake is thought to be a corn or milk snake

A four foot albino snake gave two telecom engineers in Jersey a scare on 2 November as it poked its head out of their van's dashboard.

James Denton and Morne Aspeling were finishing their mornings work when the surprise serpent made its appearance.

"As I looked back across the dashboard to drive inside I saw the head of a snake poking up from the bonnet," said James Denton.

The engineers kept a close eye on the snake while calling the Animal Shelter.

"Needless to say, it was quite a shock and it took me a moment to realise it was real. When its tongue flicked out and it moved again, we both made a pretty sharp exit from the van," said James.

CONTACT If you know anything about this white corn or milk snake you can call the Animal Shelter on 724331.

Jonathon Hudson, Animal Ambulance Driver, was sent to investigate and was surprised at the snakes size.

"When I got there the snake was much bigger than I expected at a little under four feet long. I knew right away that it wasn't an indigenous snake so had to be an escapee pet.

"From its markings we think that it is a corn snake or milk snake, both of which are non-venomous, but that it's one of the albino varieties.

"Snakes don't do well in the cold, so my guess is that it was attracted by the warmth of the engine and crawled in there for shelter," said Jonathon.

The snake was taken to the Animal Shelter and put into a special reptile friendly tank to help it warm up.

The Animal Shelter are now hoping the owner of this mature snake will get in touch so they can be re-united.

"If an owner doesn't come forward, we have a number of contacts in the island who care for snakes and will be able to provide a good home," said Jonathon Hudson.