Rat catchers were shocked after finding a 10ft-long python hiding in the drain while providing pest control services in an apartment building.

The team were setting up the traps around the building in Queenstown, Singapore when one of the team shouted for help after seeing the snake on October 12.

Willy Soh said they were hired by the building administrators because of their rat infestation problem, but did not expect that they would see another rat exterminator.

He said: "The snake may have been nesting there to eat the rats in the building. But it could still be dangerous for the people living there so we had to remove it."

They called the Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (ACRES), local animal rescuers, who captured it using long tongs.

The snake resisted for a while but they were able to grab it eventually before being placed in a plastic cage.

It has a bloated belly which suggests that it is pregnant and could lay eggs anytime soon.

An ACRES rescuer said: "It chose to nest there because there are plenty of rats for food nearby to sustain it while it is pregnant. We will take care of the snake and check its health in the centre."

They took the snake back to the centre with them and let the rat exterminators deal with the pests in the building.