This is the nail-biting moment snake wranglers squared off against a 14ft long king cobra that entered a resident's home in Thailand.

Sergeant Natthapon Suea-ngam and his colleagues were called to a house in Chanthanaburi province on Christmas Day after the massive serpent slithered inside to escape the winter chill.

When they arrived, they found that the cobra had ensconced itself in a cosy corner of the storage room.

Courageous Natthapon then set about handling the venomous beast with just his bare hands while the rest of the team stood by to provide assistance.

The cobra flared its hood upon being disturbed, and lunged at the rescuer several times, but he managed to evade by reading the reptile's movements.

Their deadly tango carried on until Natthapon finally managed to grab the cobra by its neck, keeping it from escaping.

It measured around 14 feet long and weighed around nine kilograms. The team placed it into a plastic box and will free it into a forest away from the community.

Natthapon said: 'During the winter, king cobras are often found in houses as well as agricultural areas and orchards, because it's their mating season.

'If you see one, please immediately notify the rescue volunteers or someone with expertise. Do not attempt to catch it yourself as it is very dangerous and deadly.'

Researchers found that 7,000 people are treated for snake bites each year in Thailand. Suchai Suteparuk from the Division of Toxicology at Chulalongkorn University reported that 30 of those die, with cobras being the biggest killer.