A shocked resident nearly jumped out of his skin yesterday (Monday) morning after spotting an exotic snake slithering in his hallway.
Aqeel Bashir, 32, of Mora Road, Dollis Hill, was on his way to work and just about to open the front door when something caught the corner of his eye.
He said: "I was leaving about 7.30am when suddenly something caught my eye and moved on the laminate flooring.
"I looked around and saw something long, thin and red, just bolt off down the hall.
"At that point I shouted to my mum who came out of her room totally shocked - It was first thing in the morning and I just filled my pants."
The startled pair immediately grabbed a broom and underwent a 10 minute game of cat and mouse to try and snare the serpent.
Mr Bashir said: "My mum grabbed a thick towel and was holding it down and then I got a dustpan and scooped it into a bucket.
"We didn't know if it was poisonous or not so were both scared, but didn't want it to get into any of the bedrooms. It definitely wasn't from around here."
Once the brave mother and son caught the reptile they called 999 and the emergency operator contacted the RSPCA.
Mr Bashir said: "It was constantly trying to escape from the bucket so we were pleased when the RSPCA got here.
"The man said it was most likely to be a pet which had escaped and said it may be a corn snake.
"But I did some research and reckon it could have been a baby python."