Deputy bitten by snake during Thailand holiday

A Jersey politician has returned to work after being bitten by a snake while she was on holiday last year.

Deputy Inna Gardiner said she was bitten in Thailand on Christmas Eve, with the species identified as a Malayan Pit Viper after testing.

She said she was treated in intensive care before she was released from hospital to travel home.

"I accidentally stood on it and I didn't realise what happened, I thought it was a metal trap trying to hold on to my ankle," she said.

Gardiner said the reptile was located on gravel and "probably just resting" before it struck.

She said: "A friend of mine then screamed at me, 'Inna, it's a snake, did it bite you?'

"I was as lucky as I could be because I managed to get the snake out of my ankle very quickly.

"The treatment from the hospital was amazing, they were so patient with me - I wasn't an easy patient."

The venom from Malayan Pit Vipers can cause severe pain and swelling and sometimes tissue necrosis, but deaths are not common, according to Thai National Parks.

In northern Malaysia the species is responsible for about 700 bites per year, it said.

Follow BBC Jersey on X and Facebook. Send your story ideas to [email protected].