A family was terrified after finding a cobra nesting with 10 eggs under their toilet bowl.

Yupha Chonchuen, 60 , was preparing a shower for her 93-year-old father Poon when she noticed the reptile in Bueng Kan province, northeastern Thailand.

The elderly man and his daughter shrieked when they noticed the snake's dark grey scales shimming in the light.

Yupha and another relative called the emergency services as they were afraid that the wild animal would attack.

The volunteers arrived at the two-storey house and rushed to the pensioner's room, looking for the hidden cobra.

The team spent more than an hour smashing the toilet while using a spray and a long stick to take the 4ft long snake and her eggs out.

Yupha said: "I was shocked when I saw a snake slithering under the seat. I led my father out of the room and called the volunteers for help."

Yuna's frail father, a retired policeman, said all the family was relieved that the wild reptile was finally taken out.

Poon Muenwai said: "Luckily my daughter saw it first, or it could have bitten someone. If the rescue team did not help us, we would have been in trouble.''