Water snake

[AJB Temple]

My wife was just feeding the fish and in what we call the canal pond (long and narrow) she spotted a snake and called me over. Would guess about 2 feet long. Never seen such a thing before in the UK. This pond is about 20 yards long and 4 feet wide and feeds into another pond and then a nature pond. It's full of quite small but breeding koi, sticklebacks and various newts. A bit creepy and no idea how it got here. Nature is a peculiar thing.

 

[Doug]

More than likely a grass snake, their name is misleading as they are very adapt in water & particularly like to eat newts, toads, frogs & fish.
Sounds like yours is a young one as they can get up to 5’ & 240g in weight.

Not on that scale but this year for the first time we’ve had elephant hawk caterpillars on our fuchsias, quite a surprise, almost as big as my middle finger but lovely to see.

 

[Malc2098]

I read or heard some where that grass snakes can swim.

 

[Mike G]

I read or heard some where that grass snakes can swim.

I believe that all snakes can swim. I've certainly seen both an adder and a grass snake swimming.

 

[Lurker]

I have witnessed grass snakes swimming numerous times whilst fishing.

 

[AndyP]

I can confirm they eat toads too.

This one in an old polytunnel . We see them in the ditches around the marais locally too.

 

[fuse]

We have a lake nearby with all sorts of exotic and non native creatures
The local numpty element dumps them when they find they are incapable of looking after them

 

[Accipiter]

As others have mentioned, most likely a grass snake. I had a couple when a great deal younger. Also would see them swimming in the Kennet and Avon canal outside of Bath... one was around 4ft in length, about the biggest I've seen.