Giant carpet python bites woman while sitting on toilet

An Australian woman 'jumped off her seat' after she was bitten by a snake while she was sitting on the toilet.

Helen Richards, 59, says she felt a 'sharp tap' on the loo at her home in Brisbane, Australia, on Tuesday as the reptile's fangs punctured her backside.

When she looked behind her, she was horrified to find a 5ft python curled up at the bottom of the bowl.

"I jumped up with my pants down and turned around to see what looked like a longneck turtle receding back into the bowl," she told The Courier Mail newspaper.

Thankfully the bite from the non-venemous carpet python was not serious and only required anti-septic treatment.

Helen contacted reptile handler Jasmine Zeleny who retrieved the animal from the woman's home.

"Unfortunately, the snake's preferred exit point was blocked after being spooked by Helen sitting down, and it lashed out in fear," Ms Zeleny told the BBC

"By the time I got there, she had trapped the snake and calmed down. Helen treated the whole situation like a champion."

Carpet pythons are a relatively common sight in Australia and often seek water in toilets during hot weather.

The non-venemous snake is typically harmless but tetanus shots are typically recommended for bites.

The country has experienced weeks of particularly hot weather this summer - with some regions recording record temperatures during the secent scorching heatwave.