LONDON, Sept 11, 2007 (AFP) - A London department store went to great lengths to protect a luxury shoe collection -- with the help of a live cobra.

A Cobra guards a pair of ruby, sapphire and diamond sandals at Harrods - Photo : Shaun Curry/AFP

The slippery security guard was on duty for Monday's September 1oth launch of exclusive footwear including a 62,000-pound (120,000-dollar) pair of ruby-, sapphire- and diamond-encrusted Rene Caovilla sandals.

Whether hiring a poisonous snake is, strictly speaking, the most effective means of guarding haute couture shoes might be a moot point with security experts.

But it makes for an effective photo opportunity.

A spokeswoman for Harrods admitted that the cobra had been hired strictly for Monday's launch.

"The snake has now been returned to its owner," she said.

So no need to fear snake bites at the shoe counter, then.

"Not unless you're a burglar."