A driver was startled after a snake appeared on his car windscreen while travelling to Loei province, northeastern Thailand.

Maneerat Kaewma noticed the serpent crawling across the bonnet like it was finding a branch to cling to on June 25.

The motorist pulled over and let the wild reptile climb off onto a nearby tree. She said she did not know when the creature came into her engine.

She said: "When we almost arrived at our destination, we spotted the little snake coming up from the bonnet. We did not want to harm it, so we let it go."

The snake is believed to have slithered into the engine while the car was parked in order to find a warm, dry place away from the rainstorms sweeping the country.