An albino snake stuck in an abandoned well was rescued in southern Thailand.

Chalermchai Jaihanat, 52, was working at a bicycle repair shop in Satun province on February 20 when he saw the 13ft albino king cobra crawling next to the store.

Worried that it might cause traffic accidents if it crept onto the road, Chalermchai and his colleagues lured the snake into the nearby undergrowth. They then called snake wranglers to retrieve the venomous creature.

The specialists poked around the grass to look for the snake but ended up startling it. The snake slithered away and fell into a disused well near Chalermchai's house.

Using a noose tied to a pole, the rescuers rescued the king cobra within minutes. They placed it in a cage and will release it into the wild after.

Chalermchai said: 'I've seen snakes many times in this area. Most of them are pythons that prey on cats.

'The weather is very hot these days. The snake may have descended from the mountains in search of water and food.'