Car owner Annette Stam was relieved to see the unwelcome guest leave.

She had the shock of her life yesterday morning when she opened her car door.

The metre-long black snake hissed at her from the passenger’s seat, and she made a lucky escape.

Annette suspects it has been in the car for a week, after a trip to Moruya.

She drove the car on Monday, without knowing it may have been there.

There has been land cleared for a new housing development nearby in East Nowra, and the snake may also have come from there.

The snake shed its skin in the car – Annette found it in the boot and it felt slimy, as though it had been shed that day.

She called Shoalhaven snake catcher Shaun Armstrong for help, and he tried, in vain, for two hours to entice the snake from the car.

They poured water through the car, attempting to flood it.

The snake ended up slithering through the dashboard, and came out the air conditioning vent.

“Last night it was so bold,” Annette said.

“It was staring at us from the boot, like it owned it.”