atherton - whose sister has an extreme phobia of snakes - scooped up the reptile and placed it inside a plastic food recycling box before alerting the police .
the 65-year old from halliwell , bolton was just about to put his meal in the cooker when he caught sight of the black and white california king hiding inside .
atherton 's 73-year-old sister margaret - who has a phobia of snakes - became severely distressed when she heard about the incident .