Shopper gets snake surprise in broccoli

A man found a live snake in a bunch of broccoli.

Neville Linton was terrified after noticing the reptile, which was later identified as a ladder snake, in the vegetable he had purchased at an Aldi supermarket in Stourbridge.

As he took it out of the fridge to prepare a meal, Linton discovered the non-venomous snake near the stem.

He said: "It was pretty frightening. I'm not good with snakes.

"It's lucky I didn't just leave the broccoli out in the kitchen, or it would have been loose in the house.

"That would have been a huge risk because we have two vulnerable people living here."

The ladder snake - which can give a serious bite - has now been taken to Dudley Zoo.