An injured python was rescued in a terrified resident's garden in Thailand.

The 16ft-long beast was discovered by the local Teerayut Sakunnum, 71, lurking in the grass in his property in Samut Songkhram province on October 29.

The shocked pensioner called snake catchers to dispatch the serpent which was 'as large as a leg'.

The specialists found and subdued the massive reptile and were preparing to haul it into a sack when they noticed two large wounds on its body.

They treated the injuries with saline solution and gauze before releasing the creature into the wild.

Chokchai Kotchasarn, a rescue team volunteer, said: 'The python was so large that we needed five people to carry it. It was injured, probably by a lawn mower blade cutting its body. Its injuries were treated first before we released it into nature, away from the neighbourhood.'

The reticulated python is found throughout Southeast Asia, where they live in forests, swamps, canals and even in cities, causing them to come into conflict with humans. The species is one of the world's largest snakes and can eat humans, cats, dogs, birds, rats and other snakes.