A huge king cobra was rescued when it became trapped in a car's alloy wheel.

The 12ft-long venomous snake weighing around 10kg slithered through the gap of the rear right wheel to shelter from hot weather before it was discovered by the owner in Chonburi, Thailand, on April 4 early in the morning.

Footage shows the serpent being extracted from the silver Toyota Camry by four rescue volunteers using long poles.

It resisted and went deeper into the vehicle but was successfully lured out and measured at the front of the local's house.

Expert reptile handler Paisan Pornnimitsap, 40, who led the team, said: ‘That was the fourth time that I had captured a large snake. My previous catch included a snake measuring 4.3 metres weighing 12kg.'

Paisan added that the locals had been spotting the king cobras more frequently due to the hot weather.

He said: ‘The snakes search for water and food as their natural habitats dry up, leading them to venture into houses and properties.'

The king cobra was taken to the rescue office for documentation and then released into the forest.

The snake was seeking shelter amid scorching weather. The Meteorological Department of Thailand (TMD) warned of intense heat across the country along with thunderstorms expected in ten provinces.

They said a high-pressure system in the north was causing the heat wave.

The capital recorded temperatures of 40C while the North was even higher at 42C. While in the south of the country, heavy rainfall with choppy seas was expected in the coming days.

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.