A worried resident has posted video of a venomous snake slithering along a beach in Cornwall in the hope of warning other beach-goers visiting the seaside town.
Lesley Allen said she spotted the deadly adder just a few feet away from children and dogs last Thursday at Mawgan Porth.
She told Cornwall Live : "Lifeguards said it may have fallen off the cliff. It was just slithering along.
"People with dogs and children need to be aware.
"We saw a couple of people looking at the ground, the man ran to the lifeguards so my friend and I being nosey went to look, thinking it might be a jellyfish or such like, but it was an adder slithering across the sand.
“The lifeguard came and put it in a box and took it up onto the cliff path and released it.”
Adders are venomous snakes with a black-brown pattern along their backs and V or X shaped markings on the back of the heads.
It's also known to kill dogs but it is listed as a protected species by the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 – this means that it is an offence to kill, harm, injure, sell or trade them.
Following the incident, a spokesperson for the RSPCA said: "Adder bites can be extremely dangerous to pets, particularly if the animal is bitten on the face.
“The bites can cause swelling, bleeding or fever.
“Dogs are naturally very curious but if you see your dog near an adder habitat we advise that you distract your dog away from the snake to avoid any injuries."
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