AN ADDER was snapped near Ravenglass in what was an unusually early sighting.

The photograph, taken by Rachael Thompson, was shared with Cumbria Wildlife Trust.

A spokesman for the charity said adders usually appeared in March and questioned whether the early sighting could be “a sign of warming winters.”

The adder is the UK’s only native venomous snake. The trust reports its bite can be very painful but is for the most part only a danger to the ill, elderly and very young.