Fortunately for panelbeater Phil South, who works at Fix Auto Ruislip, it was a non-venomous North American Corn Snake which, it seems, was more frightened than he was, and caused further commotion to the business as it hid itself within the dashboard of the vehicle.
Dave Smith, who owns the Fix Auto bodyshop business based in Reservoir Road, Ruislip, agreed that it’s not every day you come face-to-face with a snake. "So you can imagine the horror as Phil opened the door to see one glaring at him. His initial reaction was to slam it shut and run for help. At first, no-one believed him until we contacted the owner who confirmed that he thought the snake – named Tubbs – might be hiding in the vehicle and agreed to come and collect it.”
But that was easier said than done. Unfortunately, by the time they had built up the courage to go back into vehicle the snake had disappeared again, so the workers were forced to strip it bare until Tubbs was found, safe and well, tangled in a wiring loom deep behind the dashboard.
