A three-foot-long reptile is found on a Southern Rail train, sending panicked police packing

A three-foot corn snake sparked panic when it was discovered living in a Southern Rail car.

The reptile was found on the carriage floor by staff at Selhurst Train Depot in Croydon.

They contacted the British Transport Police, who were unimpressed by the slimy unexpected visitor.

Workers managed to corner the reptile and put it in a bag to remove it from the southern wagon.

The snake was spotted on a carriage that normally traveled between London, Kent and Sussex

The animal was removed from the train by reptile expert Gareth North of Mitcham Zoo and is being sent to the National Center For Reptile Welfare.

Corn snakes are not poisonous and are kept as pets by many. They are native to South and Central America. The species can grow up to 6 feet long.

Mr North told The Sun that the creature had been living in the carriage’s heater vent for some time.

He added that British transport police were afraid of the line, which gave “a bit of a shock” to the workers who found them.

‘You [the police] arrived and checked in, saw the line and basically ran out of the carriage.”

He believes the slithering reptile may have been disposed of by its owner.

“We really can’t be sure how the snake got on the train. There can be several reasons for this.

“The trains are warm and the heating on these trains runs 24 hours a day. Outdoors it would have died because it’s too cold. It is not native to this country.

“Possibly someone threw it at it, but it’s also possible that it just escaped from a happy home and got on the train while it was in the surface yard,” Mr North explained.

The animal welfare expert said the snake was dehydrated, which could mean it had been on the train for some time.

He added that the snake is being investigated as it has some man-made injuries, most likely from sliding through heater grilles.

Social media users found the discovery of the legless beast hilarious, with one pointing out that Mr North is now a “civilian snake”.

Many linked the incident to the legendary Samuel L. Jackson film Snakes On A Plane.

“Why would anyone drop it? He’s beautiful too. I hope he wasn’t there too long,” one person said online.

Another joked that the snake traveled with “British scail”.

British Transport Police and Southern Railway have been asked for comment.