A driver who took his car to be repaired was shocked when mechanics found a 15ft long PYTHON in the engine.

Hilmi Hamdan left his perfectly-fine silver Mercedes saloon parked overnight outside a shopping mall in Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia but it would not start the next morning April 21.

Concerned Hilmi - who was fearing a big repair bills - had his prized E Class towed to a nearby workshop where he told mechanics about its ‘failing wheel sensors’.

However, they were horrified to open the bonnet and see the deadly reptile staring back at them.

Workers tried to subdue the snake and pull it out but without success. Local police officers were even called to the scene and joined the struggle to remove the pthon.

Footage shows four men dragging the large snake from under the car that was lifted by a machine inside the garage.

Hilmi said: 'I was shocked to find a snake inside but relieved it was not a problem with the electronics. That could have been expensive.

'I shudder to think what could have happened if I was inside the car, just me and the snake.'

The driver's shocked niece Sya Nursyahni said: ‘My uncle had no idea that there was a car inside the engine. He also did not know where it came from. It was a good thing, the car did not start when he was trying to drive, or the snake could have crawled inside and eated him. So creepy.'

The giant snake was unhurt and turned over to local authorities who would will it rehabilitated before being released. No one was hurt in the incident.

Officers believed that the snake had been living in the city’s sewers and feeding off rats and other strays, which have contributed to its large size.

Pythons do not deliver deadly venom, but they have razor-sharp teeth and strong muscles which they use to crush their prey until they are dead or unconscious before swallowing them whole.