Unexpected Guest: Man Discovers Live Snake Inside Supermarket Broccoli

What started as a routine grocery trip ended in a chilling surprise for 63-year-old Neville Linton from Stourbridge, England. After purchasing a bag of broccoli from an Aldi store, Neville placed the vegetables in his refrigerator, unaware that something else had come along for the ride.

Three days later, while preparing a meal, he opened the bag and was stunned to find a live snake nestled among the broccoli. The unexpected discovery caught him completely off guard.

“I’m not comfortable around snakes—it was a real shock,” Neville said. “If I had left the bag out in the kitchen, it could have escaped, which would’ve been especially dangerous since we have vulnerable family members at home.”

After realizing the animal wasn’t an insect or worm, Neville called his sister, Ann-Marie, who helped him safely secure the snake in a container. The two then returned to the Aldi store on Dudley Road to report what had happened.

The snake was later transferred to Dudley Zoo, where staff identified it as a young ladder snake—an often harmless species found in parts of Europe. However, herpetologist Dr. Steven J R Allain, known as the “Pop-Punk Herpetologist,” reviewed photos of the reptile and offered a different opinion. He believes the animal is more likely a viperine water snake (Natrix maura), a non-venomous species native to southwestern Europe and northern Africa.

“These snakes are not dangerous to humans—they feed on fish and frogs and would rather play dead than bite,” Dr. Allain explained. “It likely got scooped up during the harvesting process in a Mediterranean field and accidentally made its way into the food supply chain.”

Dr. Allain, a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Kent, added that cold storage may have helped the snake survive the journey. “The chilly environment would have slowed its metabolism, allowing it to survive longer without food.”

While Neville’s encounter was alarming, experts hope it can also serve as an opportunity to educate the public on how to respond safely to unusual wildlife encounters—and to understand that in this case, the snake was simply a traveler in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Now safely rehomed at Dudley Zoo, the snake will live out its days in a protected environment—hopefully helping reduce fear and foster curiosity about reptiles.