THE "Shucknall snake" has died little more than a day after being accepted by a wildlife sanctuary.

Believed to have been a King Snake native to North America, it is thought to have succumbed to undetected internal injuries or the effects of too long in the cold.

At four foot long, the snake was found coiled up on the driveway of a house at Shucknall on Friday and was taken in by Herefordshire Wildlife Rescue (HWR) at Bodenham.

"Snakes will usually move away when you approach them but this one was just lying there," said Sasha Norris of HWR .

"The woman who called us put a bucket over the snake. It was pretty inactive but had managed to coil itself up," she said.

The snake was discovered dead at HWR on Saturday.

King Snakes are popular domestic pets native to North America. Some are also found in South America. 

The Shucknall snake is thought to have been a pet before being released

Common King Snakes are not venomous.