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An alert over a potentially deadly venomous snake was sparked by what turned out to be a rubber toy.

An RSPCA officer went to Shildon in County Durham after a member of the public reported seeing a snake on top of a wheelie bin.

The caller had managed to put a plastic tub over the reptile but on closer examination the officer Ron Crawford realised it was fake.

The RSPCA said the incident should not put people off calling them out.

Mr Crawford said: "The caller had managed to secure it in a plastic tub before calling us for help, describing it as a brown snake that had been abandoned.

"However, once I arrived at the scene I quickly realised this wasn't your usual snake abandonment and the snake in question was in fact a toy."

Mr Crawford said the RSPCA was called out to a lot of real snake abandonments "often by owners who have taken them on without realising how much of a commitment they are and without understanding the specialist care they need".

"The caller was lucky it was rubber and not real, cobras can be extremely dangerous," he said.

The RSPCA said members of the public should treat any unidentified animal with caution and not to try to handle it if the species is not clear.