A PARK ranger cried out "I'm a Ranger, Get Me Out of Here" when a young mum stumbled across a 3ft hissing snake yesterday afternoon.

And in a real-life version of TV's Celebrity jungle show, Thompson Park ranger Steve Richards endured his own Bush Tucker-style trial when he had to catch the snake and get it to safety.

Steve, 47, of Burnley, used a litter-pick to transfer the slithering snake into a large plastic box.

Named Sid by the ranger, the reptile was identified as a non-poisonous Garter snake, a North American species with trademark white strip down the middle and red sides.

Steve, who is married to Bev and has three children, Robert, Thomas and Rebecca, said: "It was just like being in the jungle.

"As soon as I saw the snake I shouted 'I'm a Ranger Get Me Out of Here' but I still ended up completing the task in hand.

"It was rather frightening at the time because the snake was really angry and hissing at me. If it had bitten me -- which it got very close to doing -- then it could have been quite nasty, although they aren't poisonous.

"We haven't fed Sid yet but after looking on the internet we know they eat worms, frogs and fish so I'm sure I'll be able to find him a few worms."

As a park ranger for the past 23 years, Steve has never faced a live snake but has his own theories on how the slippery snake got into the park.

He added: "He's not a wild snake so I think he's either escaped from his owner's house or been abandoned for whatever reason.

"I am going to take him to the vets to get him checked over before ringing the RSPCA."

Heather Holmes, spokesman for the RSPCA, said: "The problem with exotic animals is that they really take a lot of looking after.

"They need specialist care in their habitat and need special food, have to have vetenary care, which can become quite costly, which can cause people to abandon their pets. We have people who we work alongside and look after exotic pets, which is probably what will happen with this one."

By CHARLOTTE BRADSHAW