A mother was left in shock after her four-year-old daughter discovered a four-foot snake in the bath - just a week after moving into the house . Michelle Woods , from Norton in Teesside , was told by her daughter Elisha Mann that 'something was moving ' in the bath . And when the pair walked into the bathroom to check what was there , that 's when they came face to face with the reptile . The four-foot red and orange corn snake , which Michelle Woods discovered slithering around in the bathroom of her new home . She believes it may belong to the property 's previous tenant . Mrs Woods , a full-time mother , said : ' I thought she was joking , but Elisha made me go and have a look , so I went and checked the bin and nothing was there . 'But then I looked up and I was face-to-face with a snake . I nearly jumped out of my skin and slammed the door shut . ' I even made sure our cat Smotker was locked downstairs in case it tried to attack it . I had no idea at the time if it was dangerous or not . ' Panicking , Ms Woods said she called the RSPCA , who were unable to help - so in desperation , posted an appeal on Facebook . Within an hour , a local woman who keeps snakes had recognised her plight and identified the reptile as a corn snake , a non-venomous species normally kept as a pet . The woman then came to the house and took away the snake so Ms Woods and Elisha could get a good night 's sleep . Ms Woods , 44 , added : 'It was a great response . Obviously , they thought I was just joking at first but when I sent them a picture they posted it up online and I got some help straight away . Michelle Woods with her daughter Elisha Mann , who first spotted the snake in the bath before alerting her mother . It is not clear how the snake ended up in the bathroom , but Ms Woods believes that the previous tenant may have kept snakes as pets and lost the red and orange reptile while moving . She explained : 'We could n't think of another way it could have got into the house , but goodness knows where it had been for the week we lived there before he spotted it . ' I was petrified at first and I was a bit nervoud about using the bathroom for the rest of the night . 'But luckily we have n't found anything else yet ! ' But the encounter did n't faze four-year-old Elisha , who said : 'When I saw the snake it was really still . ' I was n't scared at all . I knew not to touch it . I 'm looking forward to telling me friends about it at school . '
Michelle Woods told by her daughter of 'something moving ' in the bath . Went to check and found a four-foot orange corn snake slithering around . Panicking she posted an appeal on Facebook for help to rescue the reptile . Believes her home 's previous tenant kept snakes as pets and may have lost it moving out .