A large 10ft-long cobra was found hiding inside a passenger van.

The venomous reptile was first spotted by the driver when he opened the bonnet to inspect the engine before travelling in Krabi province, Thailand on March 2.

When the animal rescuers arrived, the snake hid deeper into the engine and slithered into the driver's seat as volunteers tried to lure it out.

The team battled to catch the elusive snake as it hid across the vehicle until it was finally secured almost half an hour later.

The van driver said: 'I was trying to chase it away but it only went deeper. I had to call my booking off and called the rescuers instead. It would be dangerous to handle it on my own.'

Volunteers scoured the van when the snake escaped into the driver's seat until they found it hiding under the floor mat below the passenger's seat.

The uninjured snake's neck was secured with a noose and taken to a sack before being released into the wild later.

No one was reported hurt in the incident.