A huge snake that reared up from the toilet in front of a shocked family was rescued.

The 10ft (3m) serpent slithered through pipes and emerged out of the toilet, poking its head before residents called reptile handlers for help in Samut Songkhram, Thailand, on February 5.

Footage shows the snake's head pinched by a volunteer's catching tool. Another rescue team member held it by the neck and pulled it out but its body was stuck in the hole.

They had to detach the toilet bowl from the drain and remove the animal by pulling it the opposite way.

One of the firefighters said: 'We received a request to capture the snake. It would not leave despite being flushed down. It turned out it was stuck.'

The snake was dragged out into the streets and then secured in a sack. It was taken by the team to be released in the wild.