A 4ft-long deadly cobra sparked panic after it was found hiding behind the gas pump of a petrol station in Thailand.

A customer car was about to fill up their car in Uthai Thani province on January 16 afternoon when the reptile appeared.

The worker threw the gas pump away and called the animal rescuers for help.

When the rescue volunteers arrived, they found the snake coiled near the pump. They used long poles to pin it down as it could spit venom into the eyes that causes blindness.

However, the snake escaped and darted towards a fence, where it became tangled in mesh.

One of the rescuers said: ‘We were careful in dealing with the snake. Even though it was quite small, it was extremely venomous and could kill someone with just one bite.’

After almost 15 minutes, the team were able to remove the snake and put it inside a sack for release in the wild.