A church had a real-life forbidden serpent in its midst - as firemen stormed inside to remove the hellish creature.

The slippery customer was spotted among the aisles in the Church of the Rosary of Paola in the town of Cosenza in Calabria, Italy, on August 29.

The parish priest who called the fire brigade had evacuated parishioners, and two firemen captured the reptile using snake tongs.

It was then placed inside a sack without injuring either fireman, parishioners or the snake.

The video of the incident shows the 4ft reptile that forced everybody to flee the church building.

A fire service spokesman said the situation was resolved in a few minutes thanks to the department's rapid and coordinated intervention.

The snake is believed to have been a non-venomous grass snake. It was released into woodland several miles.