A thirsty python had to be rescued after slithering into a well for a drink of water and not being able to climb back out.

The parched reptile emerged from woodland and sensed the liquid at the bottom of the 20ft deep shaft after several months of drought in Surat Thani province, southern Thailand.

However, residents had to summon a snake charmer for help after they saw the huge python was stuck helplessly at the bottom of a well.

Sergeant Nattawut Kanitthanan, also known as the region's top snake charmer, responded to a call from residents on Monday afternoon (April 27).

The policeman promptly traveled to the well, which was located in a parking lot of Thida Mae Phra School, along with a team of rescuers and his own snake catching equipment.

Footage shows how the snake catcher and another rescuers used a long rod to hook the python from the pit before they pulled it up.

The reptile measured more than 16ft when it was stretched out on the roadside.

Residents believed the snake would have been left to die without intervention to save it.

Sergeant Nattawut Kanitthanan said: ''The snake was probably thirsty and sensed there was water in the well. Snakes will climb down without thinking about how they can get up again.

''But that's just their instinct. They cannot risk assess and plan the future like humans do. So, once the python was at the bottom of the well it was stuck.''

The pythons was put in a cage so it could be driven away and released into the wild elsewhere.