A BORDERS family found an unexpected guest slithering around their home this week.

On Thursday, an adder was found on the floor of a home in the Kittlegairy area of Peebles, presumably seeking some shade from the soaring 23 degree heat.

A Peebles resident got in touch to help make other homeowners aware during the prolonged heatwave.

The resident said: "The adder came in through my daughters back door on Thursday, but was removed safely and returned to the wild."

Scottish SPCA Deputy chief superintendent Tom Gatherer said: “It is common for pet snakes to escape from their tanks as they are excellent escape artists.

“They tend to hide in warm places such as boiler cupboards or near a radiator as they like the heat.

“Quite often, they will have escaped from a neighbour’s house and not travelled too far.

"They can also survive for long periods of time without food or water so they are sometimes left behind by a previous tenant and are not discovered for some time.

“We would advise anyone who finds a snake in their home to call our animal helpline on 03000 999 999.”