By Bond Robertson 
Neville Linton, 63, couldn’t believe his eyes when he found a snake in the cauliflower he bought from an Aldi store in Stourbridge earlier this summer.
Linton came home reassured and put the fresh bunch of broccoli in the fridge.
The picture shakes: – disgusting
When the 63-year-old was preparing dinner three days later, he spotted the animal, which turned out to be a ladder snake.
“It was my luck that I didn’t put the broccoli on the kitchen counter, because then it would have broken off and made its way around the house,” Linton tells Southwest News Service (SWNS).
– very scary
The ladder snake is a medium-sized, non-venomous species of snake found in Spain, Portugal, and along the Mediterranean coast of France.
Although the animal is not poisonous, it can cause unpleasant injuries in humans.
When the 63-year-old ripped the plastic off his broccoli, he initially thought it was a caterpillar.
Nobody knows who is behind it
Linton has a phobia of snakes, and so calls his sister, who quickly proves not to be a caterpillar his brother picked up in the process of buying broccoli.
– At first I thought she was joking, but when she started to move, I just turned back.
The Snake siblings took them to the store where the broccoli was bought. Store employees were equally shocked, Linton says.
– It was so scary. I’m not good with snakes, says the 63-year-old of the experience.
Warns after this: – Never again
– not tested before
The snake was later transferred to Dudley Zoo, where it was identified as a ladder snake.
The 63-year-old was awarded compensation, but he believes the amount does not compensate for the risks he and his family were exposed to.
An Aldi spokesperson apologizes for what happened and says they are now investigating.
– We have never seen a complaint of this kind before, and we have strict procedures in place to avoid such problems from arising. We are now investigating this incident and apologize to Linton for not meeting our high standards.