Woman finds python in the post in France

A French post office employee was shocked when she discovered a metre-long python in the post.

The three-foot snake escaped from a parcel and rubbed up against the woman's leg, causing her to scream for help.

The woman was working alone at the post office in Blenod-les-Pont-a-Mousson in East France last Friday (July 5).

Firefighters attended the scene and caught the snake, before going on to discover a second python in another parcel.

One firefighter told Reuters: "They're not dangerous, but they're very impressive."

A vet identified the pair of snakes as ball pythons, which are non-aggressive and will coil up if they feel threatened. They have now been donated to a zoo.

Ball pythons are a protected species, and require the owner to have a certificate to prove that they have not been taken from the wild.

When the sender's home was raided, police found two more snakes and no licence.