Australians return home to deadly snakes and spiders after torrential rains and flooding

Snake catchers have been inundated with calls to collect venomous serpents

Australians have been confronted with deadly snakes and spiders after returning to their homes following torrential rains and flooding.

The downpours have battered the country since last month and burst river banks across Australia‘s southeast, submerging homes, farms and bridges, and killing 21 people so far.

The severe weather has impacted the country’s wildlife, including spiders and venomous snakes such as eastern browns, who have sought out dry land to escape the flooding.

And now Australians returning to their homes that have been wrecked by the weather are finding an array of animals hidden within their abodes.

Snake Out Brisbane, a snake catching service, has posted a number of tweets on the large number of call outs they have had since the torrential rains.

One tweet said: “#EasternBrownSnake release in #Rocklea following the floods. It’s been a crazy week with loads of snakes displaced by flooding.

“Be careful during the clean-up and keep an eye for scaly visitors #brisbanefloods #qldfloods #snakeseason #snake #reptiles #reptiles #WildOz”.

Another said: “With floodwaters receding, this #EasternBrownSnake ended up perched above head height in a storage warehouse.

“Quite precarious with no power and slippery, muddy floors! Be careful during the clean-up and keep an eye for scaly visitors #brisbaneflood #qldfloods #flood #WildOz”.

Glenn Lawrence, 41, a snake catcher in Brisbane, told The Times, he had been called out 25 times in three days during the height of the floods.

“It’s the most red-bellied black snakes I have caught in such a small amount of time and it’s because of the rain,” he said.

Mr Lawrence added that he had removed an eastern. brown - the second most venomous snake in the world - from a classroom.

A Climate Council of Australia report published on Thursday described the recent flood events as one of the most extreme disasters in Australian history and said the devastation was “wide ranging”.

Total damages have been estimated at £990 million (A$1.77 billion), the Insurance Council of Australia said.

Amid criticism over slow relief, Prime Minister Scott Morrison, behind in polls in an election year, on Wednesday declared the floods a national emergency and designated catastrophe zones in flood-stricken towns.

New South Wales state Premier Dominic Perrottet said: “We know it has been a devastating time up here, probably moving through the initial shock for many people and the trauma that is associated with that.

“Many people are now coming back to their homes in very difficult conditions, many are not habitable.”