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A blind Exeter man has spoken of his complete and utter shock after an eight-foot python slithered through the plumbing of his loo and into his bathroom.

The terrifying ordeal happened last night (Sunday, July 29) - and, because of his disability, Stuart Saunders was mostly oblivious to the silent danger lurking inside his Market Street flat, in the city centre.

Stuart, 60, even touched the 'strange object' several times before a petrified support worker had to explain that it was a gigantic snake.

And, worryingly, where the Reticulated python - which at full-size can be deadly - came from remains a complete mystery.

Stuart, who has been blind since birth, explained to Devon Live how the incredible scenes unfolded at around 10pm: "I was laying in my reclining chair listening to my music when the next minute I heard 'crash! crash!' and things began falling in the bathroom.

Watch above: Stuart explains how he didn't even realise it was a python until he was told

"After a while I went into the bathroom to pick them up, I thought the wind from the window may have blown them over.

"A toothbrush and glass, a bottle of bleach and shampoo had all fallen down. When I picked them up I noticed this thing on the floor, like insulation had come up.

"I went forward and picked it up but it was too heavy.

"I rang my support worker on the intercom and said 'I've got a bit of mess ' and over they came. My mate Jason said, 'you've got a snake in your bathroom.'

Footage of the moment it was found by support workers here:

"We rang the police, they rang the RSPCA, but it was Exeter Exotics who came over and caught it for us.

"It left the bathroom in an awful mess, with gunge on the wall. The whole bathroom has to be deep cleaned."

Before the incident, Stuart had never even handled a reptile - even knowingly.

Quick Facts: Reticulated Python Found in South Asia and Southeast Asia World's longest snake and among the three heaviest Largest snake native to Asia Nonvenomous but a constrictor People have been killed, and in two reported cases, eaten by Reticulated pythons An extremely good swimmer Natural diet includes mammals and birds

"I have never, ever had a snake in my bathroom. I was so amazed. I thought 'how did that get there?' - Goodness knows, I don't know."

Stuart's friend and social worker Jason was absolutely gob smacked by the discovery.

Below: Watch Jason relive the surreal moment

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He said: "I walked in and opened the door, thinking a bottle of bleach had fallen on the floor or something and there was this massive snake curled up.

"And I had to actually walk in and out again because I just could not believe it."

Nearby Exeter Exotics is now looking after the python.

It's not the first time a python has terrified shocked residents in Exeter.

In August last year, the escape of a 14ft African Rock python called 'Satan' prompted the evacuation of a block of flats in Hill Barton.

The snake was eventually found by its 20-year-old owner with the assistance of fire service snake-eye cameras and a local reptile experts.

One petrified resident, Karen Turner, described the ordeal as "unreal" and said she was woken by Samuel banging on her door shortly after midnight.

"The lad who owns it said he had the snake in the bath because it had recently shed its skin. He told me he had taken his eye off it for five minutes and when he returned it had went behind the loo and into the building.

"I have just had four teeth out and I was on anesthetic, so it was almost like I couldn't panic - instead, I grabbed my quilt and went and slept in my car, there was no way I was staying in there.

"I stupidly sat there and Googled the snake, it's rare but they have been known to hunt humans and its known as an aggressive snake which is hard to handle."