A TERRIFIED East Lancashire family who narrowly escaped a Florida twister today told how they faced the frightening sting in its tail.

A deadly coral snake trying to find shelter from the freak weather conditions confronted Susan Montague and her family as they arrived at her parents' holiday home in Kissimmee.

Susan, 29, who lives in Darwen, said: "We didn't even realise it was dangerous until someone said it was one of the top ten deadly snakes in America.

"I was about to step out of the car and on to it.

"Fortunately, my husband spotted the distinctive red, black and yellow markings, sensed the danger, and drove over it.

"Despite that, it didn't die at first and kept raising its head. He ended up cutting its head off with a spade."

Ian, 28, an electrician, was later told that one bite from the snake could have proved fatal.

The reptiles can grow up to 30 inches in length and are a relative of the cobra family.

Susan, a Lancashire Evening Telegraph sales representative, said a security guard at the complex would not go near the reptile which was blocking the path to the holiday home. She added: "We missed the worst of the storms but the wild animals in the area must have realised that they were in the vicinity.

"You do not usually see anything of them.

"But shortly before it started thundering and lightning we came across the snake, then we found a fox in the back garden, and I have never heard anything as loud as the crickets."

Twelve twisters tore through the state wrecking everything in their path and leaving 39 people dead, with 120 reported missing at one time.

President Bill Clinton visited the area to witness the devastation.

Susan was holidaying at parents' Harry and Sheila Higham's holiday home with her children Amelia, four, and Anthony, seven, and grandmother Amelia, who celebrated her 90th birthday during the trip, and also lives in Darwen.

She had planned to visit the worst affected areas but was unable because of the number of people wanting to see President Clinton.

She added: "We were lucky because we only got the edge of the storms.

"The thunder and lightning were really terrible during the night but everything was clear by the following day."

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