A hapless python was rescued after getting stuck inside a manhole cover in Thailand.

Locals said the hungry snake had reportedly chased a rat down into a sewer in Songkhla province on October 3, squeezing itself into the narrow hole where it got trapped.

A villager who found the python said: ‘I was out walking for exercise when I came into the alley and found this python trying to get out from the manhole cover by itself.

‘At first, its head slid down one pipe hole. Then it went up through another hole, but its body got stuck in the first hole and it was unable to move any further. So I decided to call a rescue officer.’

Rescuers initially tried to retrieve the three-metre snake by drenching its body in vegetable oil to loosen it. However, the snake’s midsection began to swell due to constriction after 20 minutes forcing them to use a hammer and destroy the manhole cover.

The officers then used pruning shears to cut loose the PVC pipe wrapped around the python.

The injured snake sustained scratches on its body. It was released back into the wild after inspection.