Shopper’s shock as a SNAKE ‘crawls from the box of a kettle he bought in Argos’ 

So that’s why it was hissing… Shopper’s shock as a SNAKE ‘crawls from the box of a kettle he bought in Argos’

  • Barry Downes bought the kettle at Argos in London’s Kensington High Street
  • He discovered the recently-hatched creature on the floor after opening the box
  • The RSPCA identified it as a corn snake that may have snuck in during storage 

Barry Downes thought it adder be a joke when he bought a new kettle in the ssssales – and discovered a snake inside.

After making a cuppa he returned to his kitchen and found the recently-hatched creature on the floor – but initially assumed it was simply string or part of the plastic packaging. 

He suspects the snake crawled out of the box his Russell Hobbs black kettle came in.

Barry Downes discovered the recently-hatched creature on the floor after opening the box that his new kettle came in

Mr Downes, who bought the appliance, right, at Argos in London’s Kensington High Street, said: ‘At first I didn’t recognise it as a snake so I picked it up to put it in the bin but then it started wriggling.’ 

Grabbing a saucepan lid, he trapped the reptile underneath before calling the RSPCA, who identified it as a corn snake. RSPCA officer Ella Davies said: ‘Barry thought the snake may have travelled from China – which is where the kettle was made – but I suspect she snuck into the box at a storage warehouse in the UK.

Corn snakes are talented escape artists so I suspect this little one has escaped from somewhere.’

The snakes originate in the US and are often sold in the UK as pets. They are non-venomous and can reach 1.5m.

Grabbing a saucepan lid, he trapped the reptile underneath before calling the RSPCA, who identified it as a corn snake

Grabbing a saucepan lid, he trapped the reptile underneath before calling the RSPCA, who identified it as a corn snake

An Argos spokesperson said, ‘We’re surprised to hear about this incident, and are investigating with the supplier.’ 

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk