If you are travelling in parts of the country and at times of the year when adders are around, you can avoid being bitten by following the advice listed below.
- Look out for warning notices on heaths and commons.
- Wear boots and long trousers.
- Never pick up a snake in the UK, even if you think it is a harmless grass snake or slowworm, and even if it appears to be dead.
- Never put your hand in a hole or crevice, for example, between rocks. If you need to retrieve a fallen object, stand well back and use a stick to reach it.
- If you find yourself very close to an adder, stand completely still. Most snakes only strike at moving targets. If you remain calm and still, the snake will escape and will not harm you.
- Remember that snakes are more active during warm weather.
- Do not sleep on the ground unless you are in a tent that has a sewn-in groundsheet.
- Do not walk around barefoot on grassy lawns or in overgrown areas.
