This is the scary moment a snake was found hiding behind the screen door in a family's kitchen.

The reptile was trying to slither into the room but it was trapped between the main door and the mesh barrier at the home in Surin province, northeast Thailand on March 21.

Resident Pakakorn Nadee entered the kitchen and found the reptile looking for a way out between the two doors.

She called out to her neighbours for help who contacted the local rescue team. They then saw the 7ft-long rat snake curled behind the mesh.

Pakakorn said: 'I knew it was a snake when I saw the long white figure hanging behind the mesh. I was scared at first but I believe it came here to bring me luck.'

Volunteers used equipment to take hold of the snake's neck before grabbing the end of its tail and pulling it down. However, the snake was holding the iron door tightly so the team took time before finally extracting it out from the structure.

The rat snake was kept in a container and was later released back to the wild.

Disaster relief staff at Mueang Surin municipality said the creature might have been looking for shelter from the bad weather.

He said: 'The continuous rain has made the reptiles more likely to escape and come to live in people's homes. Residents need to keep an eye on them. If found, they can call the rescue volunteers or the disaster relief in the area to help catch them.'

Rat snakes vary from medium to large-sized constrictors which fed primarily on rodents.