A 14ft-long king cobra sparked panic after it was found hiding inside a car engine in Thailand.

The venomous snake slithered inside the pickup truck while it was parked in front of a timber shop in Kanchanaburi province on April 7.

Driver Thanakorn Benjawan, 43, unknowingly travelled back to his Ratchaburi province around 60 miles away while the giant snake was curled up inside the vehicle.

He was shocked after arriving home and noticing the deadly snake’s head poking out from under the vehicle’s bonnet.

Thanakorn rushed to call the animal rescuers as the snake retreated back beneath the engine.

When the team arrived, they began searching for the snake and found it hiding under the engine. Five rescuers encircled around the car with their catching poles in case the snake suddenly emerged.

After half an hour, they were able to pull the snake out by pulling off some of the covering between the wheel and the engine part of the car.

The relieved driver then thanked the team who drove away with the snake which will be released back into the wild. He said he called the timber shop he had visited and asked them to check their cameras, which revealed the snake had entered his car and stayed tucked away for the entire journey home.

Thanakorn said: ‘I was shocked when I saw the snake. It could have found a way inside my car and bit me while driving. I’m so relieved it was calm.

‘The shop owner I visited said he checked the cameras and saw the snake crawl under my car. It must have climbed up into the engine from there.’