Huge snake found in engine during MOT

A British mechanic got the shock of his life during a routine inspection - he lifted the bonnet of a customer's car and found a five-foot long boa constrictor nestling underneath.

The five-inch thick snake was curled up in a space in the engine bay of a blue MINI Cooper. The car was about to undergo an MOT test at Carringtons of Oxford.

Mechanic Wayne Hunt, said: "We immediately called the RSPCA to collect the snake, since it didn't belong to the customer and we had no idea who owned it.

"We also wanted to make sure we didn't harm the reptile in removing it, as we're more used to working on brakes than snakes!"

According to the RSPCA the snake looked thinner than a normal sized boa constrictor, which suggests that it had been nestled under the bonnet for a while.

It's thought to be the first incident of its kind in the UK, and no-one knows where the snake came from.

Mark Nichol