A WOMAN has spoken of her shock after mistaking a large snake for a stick while on a run in Newport.

Sian Wilson-Peake recently experienced many people's worst nightmare - coming across a large snake in the middle of a path.

She had been out for a run at 1pm along Brickyard Lane, when she stumbled across the reptile.

"I was out running along the canal", she said.

"It stopped me in my tracks."

In the beginning, Ms Wilson-Peake mistook the animal - which is believed to be a grass snake - for a stick or a large twig.

"So I stopped [and] took the pic, tip-toed passed it and carried on running," she said.

"I thought it was a big twig first of all - almost kicked the thing.

"I was shocked to see it. I’ve not seen a snake along there before."

She added: "It’s not something you expect to see either."

"All I know is, he was big."