15282/1WHEN John and Shirley Holdsworth moved in to their new house in Baydon they didn't imagine anything was still living there.

But the removal men opened the garden shed at the house in Downsmead to put away the lawnmower, only to discover a 4ft long corn snake nestled in a dark corner.

Mrs Holdsworth, a retired horticultural sales representative, went to remove the snake but it started to get agitated. "It was sitting in a corner and began rearing up and looked quite aggressive," she said.

"The sight of a snake did not bother me although some people would probably have freaked out."

The couple rang the RSPCA and one of its officers identified the reptile as a corn snake which, although not poisonous, could have inflicted a nasty bite. She then took it away to be rehomed.

Mr and Mrs Holdsworth are mystified about where the snake came from because neighbours said the previous occupants didn't keep any.

Solicitor Rob Collings, of Marlborough-based Withy King, who handled the Holdsworths' house purchase, said: "I was astounded to hear they had found a snake. It's a first for one of my clients."