Published: Thursday, 2nd July, 2009 9:00am

Snakes alive! Family finds shock in the toilet

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A DUNFERMLINE family got a nasssssty fright on Friday when they discovered an unwelcome visitor in their home.

Karen Barbour (46), husband Tam (55) and son John (18) were getting ready for bed when she came across a three-foot corn snake in their bathroom around midnight.

Karen, of Keir Hardie Terrace, said, 'I went into the bathroom and was just sitting on the toilet when out of the corner of my eye I saw something move.

'I saw the snake lying on top of a cloth and it was just sliding off the cistern into my bath.

'It was orange and red with rectangle shapes on it but I didn"t really get a good look at it because I just panicked. I was terrified and just ran out.'

The frightened family then phoned for help – but to no avail.

Karen, a home carer (pictured left), said, 'The police were very helpful but they didn"t deal with that sort of thing. They gave us other numbers to try but all the numbers we tried didn"t know what to do.

'We called the SSPCA but there was no one there after 10pm and before 8.30am.

'We called the vets and there was someone on standby and she didn"t know what to do.

'Basically we were left on our own. I called my brother Peter, who has worked with animals, but he couldn"t find it when he came down.'

A neighbour then remembered that Billy Aitken, the son of another neighbour, kept snakes, but he was away and could only come down in the morning.

And after a sleepless night for the family, it was discovered that not one but two of Billy"s snakes had broken out.

Karen said, 'He found the air vents on one of the tanks had been knocked out and that two of the snakes had escaped. They had probably gone out the window.'

Karen and her family spent all of Saturday 'stewing', before the neighbour hit upon calling the Serpentus Exotics pet shop in Townhill, where Billy had got his snakes.

Shop assistant Greig Clarke (16) caught the snake under the bath, suffering a 'wee bite' in the process.

The snake was returned but Karen says she still has 'nightmares' about it.

She said, 'It"s been a horrendous weekend. We had to force ourselves to use the bathroom – it was a case of getting in and out as fast as possible.

'I was petrified and I can"t go to the bathroom without thinking about it. Even now I"m always looking between my feet, at the curtains.

'I"m relieved that it"s been caught but I can"t stop worrying until I know the second snake"s been caught.'

She also has concerns that no help is available to those in her situation.

She said, 'The shop was fantastic but it"s the fact that nobody at all could come out to help us.

'What would happen if an elderly person wakes up in the middle of the night and finds a snake in the bathroom? It could be fatal for them.

'All these exotic animals are being sold but there"s nobody to find them if they escape.'

SSPCA deputy chief superintendent Tom Gatherer said, 'Our Animal Helpline is manned every day, from 8.30am until 10pm. Past experience has shown that very few people contact us outwith these hours.

'If a member of the public is seeking urgent advice or assistance regarding an animal between 10pm and 8.30am, we would advise them to contact their local police station or an emergency vets clinic.

'The corn snake is a common and completely harmless snake that is popularly kept as a pet. They are, however, excellent escape artists.

'In fact, we have just rescued three stray corn snakes from different locations over the past few days.

'They are all being cared for at our Glasgow Animal Rescue and Rehoming Centre.'