A horrified family found a snake writhing in their toilet bowl.

Patara Mahapurism was going to the bathroom, but when he opened the lid, he found the reptile coiled in the water in Prachin Buri province, Thailand, on February 14.

Footage shows the Oriental rat snake, estimated to be at least 4ft-long, curled up in the bottom of the bowl.

Patara said: ‘I don't know how the rat snake got there because the lid was closed. It might have crawled through the pipes.'

Thailand has a tropical climate with distinct wet and dry seasons but relatively consistent high temperatures year-round. This climate allows for lush rainforests, wetlands, and other ecosystems suitable for snakes to exist in large numbers and varieties.