A cobra snake sparked panic after it was found inside a car engine before escaping into their house and hiding in a shoe cabinet.

Surasak Pimolsri, 42, was washing his car in their garage in Chachoengsao, Thailand, when the snake emerged after being wet with water on December 27.

The shocked homeowner yelled his wife for help before calling the emergency services.

Rescue volunteers searched for the snake inside the car engine, but it had tucked so deep into the air filter so they had difficulty reaching for its head.

They sprayed a mosquito repellant to lure it out before the snake darted out and tried to escape.

It entered one of the cabinets beside the car being used to store shoes. The rescuers followed the snake with their long poles.

After almost half an hour, they found the snake inside one of the shoes trying to hide.

One of the rescuers pinned its head down using the pole with a noose and the snake was secured. They placed the snake inside a sack and drove away with it to release into the wild.

The relieved house owner said: ‘This never happened before. I thought it was a cobra so I called my wife to warn her. I am glad no one was hurt and the snake was finally taken out of my house.’

The superstitious man said he is going to buy some lottery tickets as local beliefs suggest that animal encounters are lucky.