A brave rescue worker caught a python hiding in a family's roof by letting the deadly snake coil around her arm.

Ratha Tapianthong was called to the two storey wooden home in Lopburi, central Thailand on June 13.

The terrified owners had took cover when they saw the reptile in the beams.

However, brave volunteer Ratha climbed a step ladder and gently coaxed the reptile down and allowed it to wrap itself around her body so it could be safely removed.

The snake was later taken out of the lot and released back in the wild far from any homes.

Ratha said: ''The snake was probably drawn to the house by a chicken coop in the garden. They are so good at climbing, the wooden beams are like tree branches in the wild.

''It's very dangerous to allow a wild python to wrap itself around you, as their natural instinct is to suffocate their prey. However, I was holding the python's mouth closed so it could not bite me.''