'Snake' found in Kingswells loft turned out to be draught excluder Published duration 3 April 2012

image caption The draught excluder caused alarm to a Kingswells resident

A woman called in the Scottish SPCA after finding what she thought was a 5ft snake in her loft - but it turned out to be a lookalike draught excluder.

Animal rescue officer Karen Hogg arrived at the rented home in Kingswells, near Aberdeen, to find the lady "very distressed".

It turned out to be a large green and black snake-shaped draught excluder with a red felt tongue.

Officer Hogg said: "The poor lady was still very shaken."

She added: "We've rescued hundreds of snakes from properties in all sorts of unusual circumstances, so we had no reason to believe this might not be the real thing.

"I'd brought gloves and a pillow case to enable us to handle and contain the snake safely, but as soon as we spotted it we realised the equipment wouldn't be necessary.

"This call-out really made us smile and given that we deal with cruelty and neglect day in day out, it was refreshing to go to a job where the 'animal' was completely unharmed."

The draught excluder - named Sid - is now at the Scottish SPCA's Aberdeen Animal Rescue and Rehoming Centre.