A POSTMAN was bitten by a snake while out on his rounds.

The incident happened as he was delivering letters in the Kipling Close area of Stanley and felt something drop on his shoulder as he walked past a bush.

He automatically flicked it off him and was bitten on the hand.

But he only realised it was a snake when he looked down and saw the bright orange creature slithering away.

The postman kept his cool, picked it up, put it in his sack and took it to a pet shop who identified it as a corn snake.

The shop said they did not want it and advised him to take it back to where it was found.

He did and reunited it with its owner who said it had been missing for some weeks.

Corn snakes are not poisonous but in accordance with post office rules the incident had to be logged.

A Post Office spokesman said: "It's a nightmare, the accident forms have nothing about reptiles."