Snakes slither into Mount Austin street

Among neatly manicured homes is an overgrown vacant lot on Fernleigh Road.

Once belonging to Charles Sturt University the block, owned by developers the Alatalo Bros, has sat vacant for "six or seven years".

A spokesman for the builders said the developers are waiting for a construction application to go through so they can start work "as soon as possible" at the former CSU South Campus site.

The retort after Mr Parkin contacted The Daily Advertiser, calling the unkempt land a hazard and a danger.

He became increasingly frustrated with long overgrown grass that he said attracted vermin.

A council spokesman said the owners of the block had been contacted about mowing the land.

"As part of the bushfire prevention period Wagga Wagga City Council has written to the owner of the block requesting them to maintain the area appropriately."

He said he could not understand why the privately owned block was kept in disarray, while other council owned vacant blocks were neatly manicured.

Early yesterday Mr Parkins found a dead, brown snake about 500 metres from the site.

"It's full of vermin - snakes, rabbits, foxes," Mr Parkins said.

"It's a fire hazard."

Mr Parkins said when the land was owned by the university it was kept neatly, but since it was sold off "six or seven years ago" it was a totally different story.

"Children walk down there," he said, indicating a bus stop directly in front of the block.

"All it would take would be fore someone to drop a match."

Wagga snake catcher Tony Davis said dead snakes could still be poisonous, warning people to leave them alone.

"They are still dangerous and snakes don't have to bite you to be venomous, if there is any loose venom on the snake it can still harm you," he said.

"It's best to leave them alone."

He said maintaining properties, keeping vermin away and making sure no food was lying around would reduce the presence of snakes.