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A woman "screamed in shock" when she found a snake on her settee as she was about to sit down.

Lesley Tomkinson spotted the orange corn snake on the settee at her home in Congleton, Cheshire.

She recognised the breed and knew it was not venomous, so her partner managed to pick the relaxed reptile up and put it in a box.

The RSPCA has collected the snake which is now in the care of a specialist reptile keeper.

The couple have no idea where it came from but said they had left their doors open during the warm weather.

Ms Tomkinson said: "I was just fluffing up the cushions so I could relax and then spotted the snake. I screamed... more from the shock than anything else.

"I mean, it isn't usual to find a snake sitting on your sofa.

"Then I realised it was a young corn snake and as it was so small I was quite relaxed."

Ms Tomkinson said she had posted appeals on social media to trace the owner and spoken to neighbours since finding the snake on Tuesday, but no-one knew who it belonged to.

RSPCA animal welfare officer Katie Glenn collected the snake, which is now in the care of a specialist.

"I have rescued snakes from unusual places - including down drains, sticking out of a wall and one of my colleagues had to rescue one from a cooker - but this is the first time I have been called to one relaxing on a sofa," she said.

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