A hapless python was rescued after it was awkwardly stuck in the holes of a manhole cover in Thailand.

The 10ft-long snake squeezed into the pipes that led down the sewers but its stomach was too fat to pass through in Chonburi province on July 12.

It then went through another hole while looking for a way out which tangled its body even more in an awkward position.

Concerned passersby saw the animal in distress and called the local firefighters for help who responded to free the snake.

Volunteer firefighter Petcharat Phrommuang, 67, said: ‘The snake had just eaten because its stomach was bloated.

‘Maybe it tried to climb down the drain to hide while it was still full but it didn’t know that the holes were too small for it.’

The fire volunteer with the help of a colleague used a metal pole to pull the reptile out of the holes. They first carefully pushed its head down and then pull the snake out of the hole where it first entered.

After almost an hour, the snake was finally freed. It was unhurt and was later released into the wild.