A FLINTSHIRE man was shocked to find a snake slithering through his garage.

Martin Bennewith, from Queensferry, is no stranger to reptiles - having owned snakes and lizards as pets.

And it's just as well that he knows how to handle them as he found a snake in the garage of his property.

He said: "I first saw the snake when I was getting the lawnmower out of the garage, and it was still and curled up. Both myself and the snake took a few seconds to register each other, and when it moved, I was shocked and surprised.

"I have never seen a wild snake before."

Martin then sought to identify the snake, ruling out that it was the venomous adder snake due to its markings.

"I noticed the light marking behind its head - and it was this and the internet that helped me identify it as a grass snake," he said. 

Martin said he has a "mild fascination" with reptiles, and that he feels "blessed" by the encounter.

"Strangely we were also visited by a common lizard about six weeks ago on our decking in the back garden, but I never expected to see a snake in the garage," he added. ​

Martin said he was initially concerned about the snake's welfare and initially tried to entice it into a box so he could move it out of the garage into a wooded area at the back of his garden.

He was able to capture a video of the encounter, whereby you can hear the snake hissing.

"I could see it was getting a bit stressed so I decided to leave it on the basis that if it got in, it could also get out," Martin said. 

"I think it chose our garage because there is a small gap at the bottom corner by the door where it could get in and out. Maybe it was trying to seek shelter or looking for food. Although spiders would not be its usual choice of food, there are plenty of them in the garage if it got hungry."

His garden backs onto a long footpath and drive that runs between a long line of trees that are covered by a tree preservation order, so Martin is accustomed to being visited by a lot of the local wildlife that reside there. 

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Martin added: "I think the best thing others can do if they find themselves in a similar situation with a reptile on their property, bearing in mind they are a protected species, is try to ensure they are not in danger.

"I think in a shed or garage, if possible leave them to make their own way out, and if they are in danger and you can't safely entice them out, call the RSPCA for advice.

"I think the snake has moved on now, as I had a good (but careful) look in the garage and could not find it. I am now going to take measures to seal the garage from the outdoors to prevent this from happening again, but I do feel blessed to have had this encounter."