A young British family has been left traumatised after they discovered the world's most lethal spider with a sac full of eggs hiding in their groceries.
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Tim, a father of two from South London, was preparing breakfast when he unpacked a bunch of bananas from his home delivered groceries and saw a long-legged Brazilian wandering spider.
He dropped the bananas in a fright, pinning one of the spider's legs in the process. But the aggressive arachnid ripped the leg off to make an escape.
A quick search online revealed what he was up against - a spider which holds the record for being the world's deadliest. The Brazilian wandering is responsible for 14 deaths, although a powerful antidote is now available.
Tim contacted the supermarket Waitrose, where he purchased the groceries, as well as police and the RSPCA for help.
A Waitrose worker found a sac containing hundreds of spider eggs. Tim's wife, Lisa, and two sons, aged seven and eight, fled the house straight away.
"We were terrified. We got ourselves and our kids out of the house straight away," said Tim.
A pest expert was able to locate the "hardcore" spider and use a long stick to manoeuvre it into a plastic box. The spider did not go down without a fight, becoming aggressive, standing on its back legs and exposing its killer fangs.
He destroyed the eggs in the freezer. The family was so traumatised by the spider that they spent the night at a friend's house.
Waitrose supermarkets has given the family $275 worth of vouchers and sponsored a family day out as compensation.
"Although this is highly unusual, we're taking it very seriously and will be working with our supplier to minimise the risk of this happening again," a Waitrose spokesman said.
The world's media has been heaping superlatives on the Brazilian Wandering, largely referencing the listing in the Guinness Book of Records as the world's most venomous spider.
But the Australian Museum begs to differ. It says the Australian funnel-web spider can be counted among the world's deadliest.
"There are many species of funnel-web spiders in Australia but only male Sydney Funnel-webs have caused human deaths," its website says. "There have been only 13 deaths recorded from male Sydney Funnel-webs."
The Brazilian wandering spider has been nicknamed the "banana spider" because of its proclivity to take cover among the fruit.
But there is no need for Aussie fresh fruit lovers to fear. Bananas are not allowed to be imported into Australia, in a bid to protect local crops from overseas pests and diseases.
