This is the dramatic moment snake wranglers caught a 10ft cobra in a cramped home toilet in southern Thailand.

The venomous reptile sparked panic when it slithered into the remote house in Yala province on the evening of December 10.

Volunteers from the Betong Animal Lovers Club were called to the scene by terrified residents, who saw the snake disappear under a cupboard.

They combed the single-storey home and discovered the serpent coiled behind a green bucket in the toilet.

Footage shows the snake catchers dragging the cobra outside using a snake pole.

Neighbours screamed in fear but continued filming with their phones as the snake was hauled away.

Phatcharin Prathummek, president of the Betong Animal Lover Club, said: 'The rescue workers had to be extremely careful because the bathroom was so narrow.

'There was no space to dodge if the snake lunged. After moving the bucket, they used a noose to capture it. In just five minutes, they caught the king cobra, which measured around three meters long and weighed three to four kilogrammes.'

Homeowner Farida Daeboh said the snake may have entered the home through a side door facing the dense forest.

She said: 'When I saw the snake, it slithered under a cabinet before hiding in the toilet. I quickly told everyone in the house to close the bathroom door and asked the villagers to keep watch so it wouldn't escape.'

The cobra was later released into the wilderness.

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.