Firefighters rescued a python that was found coiled around the top of a street lamp in Thailand.

Footage shows the officers riding a cherrypicker crane before unwinding the 10ft-long snake from its perch in Chonburi province on January 22.

The firefighters later released the reptile back into the wilderness, in a canal around 25 miles from where it was caught.

They said that worried residents reported the python, fearing it would fall on and injure passers-by.

Locals believe the snake had slithered up the street light while escaping from a barking stray dog below.

The reticulated python is 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.