Woman bitten by adder at Shropshire beauty spot

The adder bit the woman's foot as she as walking at Whixhall Moss, near Whitchurch.

The woman, in her 60s, was taken to hospital with a foot injury.

It is believed the woman had stepped off a boat on the canal and was wearing open-toed sandals when she was bitten.

The air ambulance was sent to the scene when the incident happened but was not needed.

A West Midlands Ambulance spokesman said: “We were called at 4.20pm on Saturday to the track leading from the Moss towards Whixall, to reports of a patient who had been bitten by a snake.

“They treated a woman in her 60s and she was transported by land ambulance to the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital.”

Shropshire Wildlife Trust said incidents like this are rare but it has sparked a warning to wear suitable footwear while walking in the Meres and Mosses.

John Hughes from the trust said: “It’s a very, very rare occurrence. The reason it tends to be so rare is that they don’t like people so I suspect it was trodden on.

"They’re not just waiting there to get you. As soon as they hear you coming, they are very sensitive to vibrations, and they’re off.

“The times people get bitten tend to be in the cooler parts of the day – usually in in the morning when the snakes are not very alert and it’s much easier to tread on them.

“Clearly it is very serious but it tends not to be life threatening because they are venomous, but not deadly.”

However, Mr Hughes said while walkers are unlikely to be bitten by a snake in Shropshire, it does happen.

“Last year there was a similar incident and someone was bitten by one,” he said.

“You need to take sensible precautions and wear sensible footwear while walking on the Meres and Mosses. There is plenty of literature about the place that say adders are present. You need to be wearing stout footwear, really.”

The last death in the UK from an adder bite was in 1975 when a five-year-old boy was bitten on the ankle in the Trossachs, in Scotland.

The only venomous snake native to Britain.

• Male adders measure up to a maximum of 60cm, females up to 75cm, however most are less.

• The adder is the only venomous snake native to Britain.

• Adders will only use their venom as a last means of defence, usually if caught or trodden on.

• No one has died from an adder bite in Britain for more than 20 years.

• With proper treatment, the worst effects are nausea and drowsiness, followed by severe swelling and bruising. Most people who are bitten were handling the snake.

• Adders are relatively common in areas of rough, open countryside and are often associated with woodland edge habitats.

• The best time to see them is in early spring when they emerge from their hibernation dens. By mid April, the males have shed their dull winter skin and are ready to mate. There is a lot of frenzied activity on warm days.

• If you do spot an adder, treat it with respect and leave it alone.