A British tourist was rushed to intensive care in Cyprus after being bitten by a venomous snake as she marked her 40th birthday on holiday.

Sam West from Shifnal, Shropshire was getting ready for a meditation session at the Atlantica Aphrodite Hills hotel when a blunt nosed viper launched its attack.

The 40-year-old required a wheelchair to move around since being discharged from hospital last Monday.

West, who was abroad with her wife, spent four days in intensive care before being transferred to another ward.

"It quickly, before I had time to react, bit me just above my left ankle," she told the BBC.

"I started to shake the snake off as I shouted that I had just been bitten by a snake. My leg was burning and throbbing, the pain was instantaneous."

Staff at the hotel helped assist her to A&E where she was told she urgently needed anti-venom.

The holidaymaker is now paying £260 a night for a room with disabled-access.

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She must now wait for her insurance company to decide when she is fit to fly home - which was not expected to be until today.

Tour operator TUI said it was speaking "directly with the guest to provide our full support".

West added that the hotel had cut back the area around the meditation platform where she was bitten.

They also called pest control teams out twice.

The meditation sessions have since been moved to the hotel's dance studio.

West said she had received around 350 messages of support while TUI representatives in the resort had also been very supportive.

A TUI UK & Ireland spokesperson said it was "aware of an incident" at the hotel earlier this month adding the "safety of our customers is our highest priority".