A wild cobra hiding in a car engine was removed by wildlife rescuers in Thailand.

The terrified driver heard the deadly reptile hissing and banging around inside the vehicle while it was parked outside his home in Phetchabun province on January 28.

Footage shows an animal handler searching for the venomous serpent with a flashlight. The deadly reptile was later found coiled up inside the engine and pulled out with a hook.

It was carried by a rescuer with a gloved hand and measured with a colleague before being taken back to the wild.

Brave snake catcher Noppanat said: 'We were very careful and didn't want to scare the snake. Cobras are the most dangerous so we were cautious.'

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.