A resident was terrified when she found a huge python enjoying a swim in floodwater outside her home in Thailand.

The worried housewife was surveying the flood levels in her neighbourhood in Phitsanulok province when she noticed something large floating in the deluge on October 8.

Thinking it was a tree branch, she moved to take a closer look - only to discover a colossal python lurking in the water surface.

Footage shows the deadly reptile poking its head out of the surface as it glided across the muddy swamp. The woman tried to drive the predator away by throwing objects at it, fearing it would bite her beloved pets.

She said she succeeded in scaring off the python, which slipped away and was not seen again in the house.

The reticulated python emerged while heavy seasonal monsoon rain had caused chronic floods in the region. The downpours are expected to last until late November.

Pythons are found throughout Southeast Asia, where they live in forests, swamps, canals and even in cities, causing them to come into conflict with humans. The species is one of the world's largest snakes and can eat humans, cats, dogs, birds, rats and other snakes.