TWO people were hospitalised after they were bitten by snakes in the Toowoomba region at the weekend.

A snake bit one person on the leg in Wilsonton Heights while a second bit a man in Oakey.

Both incidents occurred about 7pm on Friday.

Snake catcher Anthony Adams was not surprised to hear of a bite in a suburban area like Wilsonton Heights.

“Toowoomba may be a big place, but you are never more than a few kilometres from a paddock,” he said.

“I caught an Eastern Brown Snake in Darling Heights last week.

“I have also been called to sightings near Queens Park and the Kmart shops.”

With their finely tuned sense of smell, snakes can track food for several kilometres and are known to wander.

“If they are hungry, they will travel,” Mr Adams said.

“They are very adaptive creatures and can do just as well in a built-up environment as the can in the bush.”

With Summer only a week away residents can expect increased snake activity.

Mr Adams said venomous snakes, like Eastern Browns, tend to be active in the daytime and should be avoided.

“It is best to treat every snake as dangerous,” he said.

“Even snakes classed as mildly venomous are still a risk because a bite victim can go into anaphylactic shock.

“It is a lot like a bee sting – it might not hurt but can be deadly if you are allergic.”

The past weekend was a busy one for Mr Adams, who was called to relocate snakes across the Darling Downs and Lockyer Valley.

“If you don’t recognise a snake stay away and phone a snake catcher,” he said.

Originally published as Snakes strike in Toowoomba suburbs