A deadly snake was rescued after it was trapped between sliding metal shutters in front of a house in southern Thailand.

The Malayan pit viper slithered around the house of a retired teacher when it was caught between the steel gates in Phatthalung province on May 12.

The snake had wrapped itself around the bars and was extremely aggressive – even trying to bite and spray venom at resident Mansri Khongnoo, 75, before she fled the house.

With the help of neighbours, she called the animal rescuers for help who found the reptile still coiled on the gate appearing to be stuck.

Mansri said she could have been bitten if she did not notice the animal right away. She said she didn’t know at first that it was a venomous snake.

She said: ‘It was smaller than most pythons and I didn’t know that it was venomous. I am relieved that I was not bitten because I noticed it in front right away.’

The rescue volunteers used tongs attached to a pole to pin the snake down and it was eventually caught after almost half an hour.

No one was injured and the snake was safe as well but it tried to fight off the team. The snake was put inside a sack to be released back into the wild later.

Pit vipers are commonly found in the southern part of the country and are notorious among locals as there have been snake bite victims who lost their limbs due to the species.

Only a fraction of pit viper bites are fatal, but toxins in the venom could trigger serious medical emergencies such as organ failure, uncontrollable bleeding, severe tissue destruction and paralysis that may restrict breathing