A Sydney woman got a nasty surprise while picking chilli from her backyard yesterday, as she nearly stepped on an eastern brown snake — the world's second most venomous animal.

The reptile was a juvenile, estimated to be three to four years old.

Despite its tender age Sean Cade, owner of Australian Snake Catchers, said a bite would have still proved deadly.

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"Venom is venom," he told 9news.com.au, explaining it's the volume of venom contained in a bite that "causes issues".

By the time Mr Cade had arrived to remove the snake from the house in Edmondson Park, in Sydney's south west, it had managed to slip between a concrete retaining wall.

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Mr Cade reached in and carefully removed the young animal before it was safely relocated to bushland.

"The woman was very grateful as they had young children in the house," he said.

The eastern brown snake's venom is deemed the world's second most deadly, with the Inland Taipan topping the list.

Australia is currently in the middle of snake season, which typically starts around mid-September and runs to March.

Earlier this week a Gold Coast family received the fright of their lives after finding a large snake beneath their toddler's cot.