A Dutch family on their way home from holiday in Italy got the shock of their lives when a 1.5 metre snake crawled from under their car bonnet during the trip, the Telegraaf reports on Wednesday.

The snake, thought to be a harmless dice snake (natrix tessellata), first appeared as the family drove through Austria.
‘I was enjoying the mountain view, when I saw the head of a snake emerge from the bonnet. He looked into the car and stared me straight in the eye, Sandra Tiethoff told the paper.
But after a four-hour stop, police and a reptile expert told the family to drive on home. Stuck in a traffic jam in Germany, the snake eventually had enough and slithered off.
‘Our children began to get attached to him,’ Tiethoff said. ‘Boyd wanted to keep it as a pet.’
For photos of the snake on the windscreen, click here