A DAY beside the seaside turned into a nightmare when York girl Charlotte Shipley was bitten by a venomous snake.

Charlotte, ten, of Woodside Avenue, Burnholme, was enjoying a day trip to Robin Hood's Bay and Ravenscar with her friend's family when the drama unfolded.

The girls were exploring near the cliffs at Ravenscar when Charlotte felt a sharp pain and looked down to see the 15in snake with its fangs embedded in her fingers.

As Charlotte's entire arm started to swell, her friend's horrified parents rushed her straight to Scarborough Hospital.

Charlotte's father, Brian Shipley, said: "The hospital have been monitoring her very closely and they put her on a morphine drip to ease her pain.

"At one point, it was very serious and the doctors thought they would have to treat her with the antidote, but fortunately, it didn't come to that.

"The first few nights she was in hospital, she was in a lot of pain and discomfort, as her glands under her arm have swollen right up to stop the venom from spreading."

Mr Shipley and Charlotte's mum, Alison, and sister, Jade, four, have been watching Charlotte's progress from her bedside.

Brian added: "We were shocked that such a small snake can cause so much damage.

"People really must be careful when out walking or they could find themselves in a similar situation."

Gilly Collinson, spokeswoman for Scarborough Hospital, said: "Charlotte will be examined on ward rounds later this morning, and her treatment is being monitored each day.

"It is very rare that we get people in with snake bites as snakes prefer to avoid humans.

"The expectation is that Charlotte was bitten by an adder. It is a well known fact that there are adders on the North York Moors, although they are rarely seen and only tend to bite people when they are cornered or frightened. It is a very unusual case."

Sean Drayton, a snake expert at Flamingoland Zoo, said: "It must have been an adder as they are the only venomous snakes in this country.

"They can be recognised by zigzag shapes on their backs or sometimes they have a thick black line running down the centre of their backs.

"Snakes try to keep out of humans' way as much as possible and only bite if they are frightened, as a defence mechanism.

"In the rare chance of being bitten by a snake, the most important thing to do is to keep calm and don't panic, as venom gets pumped round the system the more panicky you get.

"If you are fit and healthy, you may suffer some discomfort, but the chances of it being fatal are very slim."

Snake bite victims should seek immediate medical attention.

Charlotte has been in hospital since the incident on Tuesday. Her condition today was said to be "satisfactory."

Updated: 11:16 Friday, July 27, 2001