A West Lothian man says he has been left 'shaken' after coming home from the pub to find a snake slithering its way across his floor.
Terrified Terry Fairley returned from the pub during the early hours of Saturday morning, April 15, sat down on the toilet and then leapt from his seat after noticing the snake out the corner of his eye.
Not knowing what to do, Terry called the police as the SSPCA office was closed and asked for advice. With Terry's neighbours upstairs known to have owned a snake, he went knocking on their door to find out if it was theirs.
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When nobody answered, Terry was saved by another fellow neighbour who didn't seem fazed by the snake in front of him, and took it away until the morning before calling the SSPCA.
Still shaken up several hours later, Terry told Edinburgh Live the whole experience has cast doubt in his mind about living in his flat on Holmes Road, Broxburn.
He said: "So I was out at pub for couple hours and got back in around about 1.15am as I live in Broxburn I was just at pub up the road. I came in and went to toilet but while I was sitting down I saw long thing on floor in the hall opposite the toilet.
"I jumped up off the toilet and let out a scream. I did not know what to do, I knew neighbour upstairs had or still has snakes and there's bit of neighbourly falling out going on but I still went to the door and banged on his door whilst I was on the phone to 999.
"I was put through to Police Scotland as they said to go to the neighbour in case snake was his. I didn't get any answer but the other neighbour and his partner came down and they put a towel over the snake as well as the glass jar it was in so it didn't get distressed.
" The two lads took it away upstairs with them as they were not as scared as me so it was removed safely by the couple until the SSPCA can come safely today and take it away."
Despite Terry's neighbours having a snake, he questioned how the reptile got into his flat and is adamant that someone put it through the letterbox on purpose.
He added: "I know for a fact some one has put that through my letterbox as there's no way a snake could have got into this flat. All the other doors were closed and only other access to hall was through my front door.
"It's a good job I got here when I did as I have two dogs and one puppy in training and the snake was steps away from stairgate to the living room where the dogs are kept whilst the wee one is in training and my oldest dog was barking a lot but the snake was removed safely.
"I still feel shaken up by this. I don't think I want to live here any more it has really got to me and something I won't forget for a long long time."
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “Around 1.40am on Saturday, 15 April, we received a report of a snake in a property in the Holmes Road area of Broxburn.
“Suitable advice was given and officers were not required to attend.”
The SSPCA were approached for comment.
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