This post box at Brean has been taken out of use after the village’s postman got bitten by an adder lurking inside.
Shocked postie Alan Wakley, pictured, was bitten on the hand by the sneaky snake as he emptied its contents at Brean Cove last Thursday.
He told Burnham-On-Sea.com: “I opened the box to empty the post and expected to find a couple of letters and a few snails, which often crawl in through a small hole in the bottom.”
“But when I opened the door and put my hand in, I could hardly believe it when a snake jumped out and bit my hand. Its fangs went straight into the back of my hand, giving me a very sharp pain.”
“It felt like a nasty bee sting and made me jump – I hauled the snake out of the box and threw it onto the grass where it quickly wriggled away.”
“I think the snake was as shocked to see me as I was to get bitten by it! It was unmistakingly an adder – its markings were exactly like the ones I’ve seen in pictures before.”
Alan, who has been a postman for 16 years, sucked at the scratch marks on the back of his hand to remove the poison and added some antispectic.
He added: “I didn’t go to hospital. My hand didn’t swell up and I felt fine, so I decided not to take it further.”
Alan also revealed that it was not the first time he has been bitten by a snake locally.
“I was actually bitten once before while playing golf on the course at Berrow a couple of years ago,” he said.
“My golf ball went off into the rough and when I reached into the grass to collect it, a snake bit me. I do seem to attract them!”
Meanwhile, Royal Mail has sealed off the post box next to Brean Cove cafe as a precaution.
Tape has been placed around the front of the box and a written message on it reads: “Out Of Use. Caution – Snake (Adder).”
