A family beach outing turned to terror when a giant serpent suddenly appeared from the sea.

Brian Hammersley was taking his three-year-old son Drew for a paddle when they were confronted by the 14ft-long python.

Brian recoiled in horror, fearing for the safety of Drew, until he realised, on closer inspection, that the reptile was dead, and its movement was being caused by waves lapping in the shallows.

It took three men to lift the snake, which was the width of a man's thigh, up the shingle as a crowd of shocked bathers looked on.

Brian, 32, wife Jo, 32, and sons Drew and Kai, six, had cycled from their home in The Vineries, Worthing, to the beach near the Southern Water drought garden in West Parade, Worthing.

He said: "I was taking my three-year-old for a little paddle in the sea and it swept right up in front of me!

"I thought 'Oh my God, is it alive or dead?' It was huge, at least 12ft long.

"There was quite a bit of panic to start with. I ran back with Drew to my wife and then tried to make sure it was safe for others on the beach. I was with some friends, and they have got kids as well.

"I didn't quite know what to do so I decided to get on my bike and cycle down to the beach office.

"The snake was terrifically heavy and took three of us to put it into a bag."

Beach inspector Tim Smalley was astonished by Sunday's discovery.

He had dealt with dead dolphins, seals and conger eels washed up on the beach, but never a python.

Mr Smalley said the snake was still fresh, but had absolutely no idea how it ended up in the sea.

He believed it might have escaped from somebody's home, or been dumped on the beach after growing too large.

It was also possible that the python might have been washed overboard from a passing vessel.

Mr Smalley said: "I thought it was a conger eel at first, but it was a reticulated python. We got it back to the beach office, laid it out and measured it, and it was 14ft long."

The snake was later disposed of by the borough council's cleansing unit.

Reticulated pythons are native to Indonesia, Southeast Asia, the Phillipines and other Indo-Pacific islands.

They can grow to 12ft in two years, sometimes 18ft, and occasionally more than 20ft, with the longest ever recorded being 33ft.

Pythons suffocate their prey, which ranges from mice and rats as hatchlings, to rabbits and small pigs in adulthood.

They can live for up to 30 years, but need temperatures varying from 73F at night to 90F during daytime, to survive for prolonged periods.

Have you ever encountered a strange creature in the sea? Leave your comments below.