A huge snake spooked paramedics when it emerged at an ambulance station.

The 6ft-long reptile was coiled under a bag before one of the team picked up the object to take it on a job in Ubon Ratchathani province, northeast Thailand, on June 26.

However, the startled serpent reared up as the shocked men hopped away in terror as they fled from the creature.

It hid under the table before one of the rescue workers regained composure and returned with a snake-catching pole with a noose on the end to catch it.

Paramedic Surachat Kimkliang said: 'This was a snake that we had caught before, but it escaped from its cage. We had forgotten about it. Then we were shocked when it came out from under the bag.'

Surachat added they were not searching for the snake but when his colleague was cleaning up equipment to take to work, the creature suddenly appeared.

He said: ‘We were able to evade when the snake was disturbed from its hiding place. We will now place a bucket to cover the sacks to avoid it from happening again.'

The snake was captured and released back to its natural habitat.