Residents of a newly developed suburb have been left horrified after discovering an eastern brown snake lurking in their front garden.
The massive six-foot-long reptile was spotted slithering across the front of several properties in Marsden Park in Sydney’s northwest on Sunday afternoon.
Terrified locals flooded local snake catcher Chris Williams with screams of panic as they kept a close eye on the deadly discovery.
“There were three successive calls in the space of two minutes,” Williams told Daily Mail Australia.
“There were some very anxious people trying to reach me on the phone.”
Mr Williams said residents had seen the snake crawling around the front gardens of several properties.
The creature was found sheltering on the side of a flower bed in front of a house a short time later.
Mr Williams said the reptile, which is the world’s second most venomous snake, was “quite thick” and “intimidating”.
Can you spot the deadly hazard that was found hidden on the side of a flower bed outside a home in Marsden Park in Sydney’s northwest on Sunday afternoon?
“It’s probably the biggest fish I’ve caught so far,” he said.
Mr Williams worked quickly to remove the snake from the garden before placing it in a bag.
He said a large crowd had gathered on the street to monitor the creature’s whereabouts.
“Once he calmed down and stopped moving, the whole street was under surveillance,” Williams said.
“When they realized it wasn’t going to go any further, everyone got to know each other and the snake acted as an icebreaker for the street.”
The creature (pictured), which is the world’s second most venomous snake, was seen crawling around several gardens in the area.
Mr Williams, who runs Urban Reptile Removal, said snakes can often turn up in residential areas.
He said local wildlife is often displaced when areas are redeveloped on a large scale.
“Eastern brown turtles have become very good at cohabiting in urban and semi-urban environments and their primary diet is mice,” Williams said.
‘Wherever there are people, mice chase them, which is why there is an attraction to eastern brown rats in urban areas.’
Marsden Park was first identified as a residential area in 2013.
More than 33,000 homes are expected to be built in the area by 2026.
Chris Williams (pictured), a professional snake catcher and owner of Urban Reptile Removal, said eastern brown snakes have quickly adapted to living in urban areas.
It is estimated that around 250,000 people will live in the suburb once it is fully developed.
Mr Williams urged people not to scare a snake if they see the creature lying around in an area where they live.
He said this will prevent the reptile from escaping and make it harder for snake catchers to remove it from the area.