Some New South Wales residents returning home after last month’s record-breaking floods are finding mud isn’t the only thing waiting to greet them.

Thousands of mid-north coast residents left their homes in May after flooding inundated dwellings and washed away livestock. Some are only just returning weeks after the floods – and about 120 households remain in emergency accommodation, according to the NSW Reconstruction Authority.

After evacuating their home on 16 May, Julie Botfield and her children returned to their Clybucca rental home on 2 June to find many unwanted house guests which had slithered their way on to the property after the area surrounding their home flooded.

“In total till today we had 39 snakes, all varieties, very large to babies. I had two snake catchers come to the property to relocate them, this also assisted with the cleanup as I was too frightened of picking things up or entering the shed,” Botfield told Guardian Australia on Wednesday.

Mid-north coast mother Julie Botfield and her children found a large number of snakes and spiders when they returned home. Photograph: Julie Botfield

Her house was also covered with huge numbers of spiders.

“If you find animals, particularly snakes or spiders, residents are urged to be careful and contact an expert to help safely remove them – the same goes for any cows or livestock they may find on their properties.”

The owner and director of snake education company Reptile Solutions, Stuart Johnson, said many of the instances of snakes entering homes have occurred in lower-lying areas, such as around the Clybucca and surrounding parts of the Maclean.

He said some animals had washed into people’s homes during the floods.

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“A lot of those animals naturally refuge in things like underneath vegetation, foliage, hollow logs and things, which is a lot of the stuff that gets picked up and dragged along with the flood and deposited so it gathers up along fences and inside of buildings.”

Botfield says during the cleanup ‘I was too frightened of picking things up or entering the shed’. Photograph: Julie Botfield

He suggests mid-north coast residents who encounter snakes or spiders while cleaning up should avoid them – and call in professionals.

“The major cause for snake bites and spider bites is through direct contact, where people try to directly capture or harm the animal,” Johnson said.

“So be vigilant and seek the appropriate assistance through trained and qualified individuals to assist in safely handling and removing the animals.”