A WOMAN from the Isle of Wight was left ssss-tunned when she discovered an exotic snake in her lounge. 

It was just another ordinary day for Janine Watson at home, before she suddenly had the shock of her life this morning (Friday).

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Janine, of Arundel Close, Ryde, discovered a North American corn snake, with striking orange and rust coloured markings, resting on the top of her living room blinds.

"I was looking out of the window when something caught my eye — near my face," she said.

Janine, who lives with her husband, David, and teenage son, James — notorious practical jokers — initially thought the pair had put a fake snake there to give her an amusing scare.

"They both like to have a joke, so my first thought was 'what are they doing?' I thought it was a toy snake, but I didn't touch it and I felt a bit shaky.

"I went upstairs to my husband and asked him if he'd put a fake snake in the blinds. He said no and followed me downstairs.

"We then saw the snake hanging down from the top of the blinds, and thought it looked pretty real to me, so we tried to identify it on the internet.

"I called the RSPCA, but they couldn't deal with it, so I called Amazon World Zoo Park and they were amazing. Within the space of an hour me finding it, they arrived and took it away.

"The snake was about 2ft long, but the guy said it was a baby and that they can grow incredibly big."

The corn snake is known to have a 'docile' temperament and can grow up to 5ft long.

"He also said it was very rare to find one in someone's house, and that it obviously belonged to a collector of exotic pets.

"Thankfully it is a harmless species, but to honest, I just wanted him out the house. I don't have a phobia of snakes, but I really don't like them.

"I guess it got in because we had the windows open, as it was so hot. It could've been in the house for days!

"Well, it did create a bit of excitement for a Friday morning."   

The snake was taken to Wight Vipers, in Ryde, where it is now being cared for.

Last year, the RSPCA issued a snake warning, amid a surge in runaway snakes in the UK, as the number kept as pets increased to a million.