Killer spider arrives in supermarket delivery
A family in south London got a terrible fright when they discovered
the world's deadliest spider among the bananas in their Waitrose home
delivery.
The venomous Brazilian wandering spider is usually found in South America.
Dad Tim managed to trap the arachnid, but it ripped of its own leg and managed to escape.
He told the Mail on Sunday that he, his wife and their two young sons were so terrified they couldn't spend the night in their own house, even after the spider had been tracked down.
Tim, who declined to give his surname, said: "Although people might think these things are funny, I keep thinking that the spider could have killed me or my son if he had gone to get a banana."
The Brazilian wandering spider is believed to have caused 14 reported deaths.
Tim told the Mail on Sunday he had been cooking breakfast when the supermarket delivery van dropped off their groceries last weekend.
It was as he was unpacking the bananas that he noticed the spider, and dropped the bunch into a fruit bowl in shock, trapping the arachnid by one of its legs in the process.
He managed to identify it online - and found that the Guinness Book of Records calls it the world's most venomous spider. Its poison can lead to death in two hours.
Tim said: ‘We were terrified. We got ourselves and our kids out of the house straight away."
According to the Mail on Sunday, he and his wife Lisa called the supermarket and the RSPCA, which said it was unable to handle such a dangerous animal and advised calling 999. Police also said they could not deal with the spider and suggested they contact a pest control expert.
Meanwhile, a Waitrose employee arrived at the house, equipped with a freezer bag to trap the lethal spider. They were shown into the kitchen but discovered the creature had disappeared, leaving behind only its trapped leg.
Tim said: "We had no idea where it had gone." Shortly afterwards, the Waitrose worker lifted up the bananas, revealing a sac containing hundreds of spider eggs. At this point, they decided to evacuate the house.
The venomous Brazilian wandering spider is usually found in South America.
Dad Tim managed to trap the arachnid, but it ripped of its own leg and managed to escape.
He told the Mail on Sunday that he, his wife and their two young sons were so terrified they couldn't spend the night in their own house, even after the spider had been tracked down.
Tim, who declined to give his surname, said: "Although people might think these things are funny, I keep thinking that the spider could have killed me or my son if he had gone to get a banana."
The Brazilian wandering spider is believed to have caused 14 reported deaths.
Tim told the Mail on Sunday he had been cooking breakfast when the supermarket delivery van dropped off their groceries last weekend.
It was as he was unpacking the bananas that he noticed the spider, and dropped the bunch into a fruit bowl in shock, trapping the arachnid by one of its legs in the process.
He managed to identify it online - and found that the Guinness Book of Records calls it the world's most venomous spider. Its poison can lead to death in two hours.
Tim said: ‘We were terrified. We got ourselves and our kids out of the house straight away."
According to the Mail on Sunday, he and his wife Lisa called the supermarket and the RSPCA, which said it was unable to handle such a dangerous animal and advised calling 999. Police also said they could not deal with the spider and suggested they contact a pest control expert.
Meanwhile, a Waitrose employee arrived at the house, equipped with a freezer bag to trap the lethal spider. They were shown into the kitchen but discovered the creature had disappeared, leaving behind only its trapped leg.
Tim said: "We had no idea where it had gone." Shortly afterwards, the Waitrose worker lifted up the bananas, revealing a sac containing hundreds of spider eggs. At this point, they decided to evacuate the house.
Waitrose then sent pest expert Steve Trippett to find the spider he
described as ‘hardcore’. He got rid of the eggs by putting them in a
freezer to kill them – and, using a 3ft stick, located the spider in the
fruit bowl.
The spider became aggressive, rearing up on its back legs and showing its fangs. Fortunately, Mr Trippett managed to use his stick to get it into a heavy plastic box. This was then placed inside another two boxes for transporting the spider away. Tim said his family were "too traumatised to remain in the house" and had to spend the with friends.
In a statement, Waitrose said: "The safety of our customers is our absolute priority. We did everything we could to look after our customer during what was a distressing incident and we’ve apologised personally. 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."
The chain offered the family shopping vouchers worth £150 and a family day out as compensation.
The spider became aggressive, rearing up on its back legs and showing its fangs. Fortunately, Mr Trippett managed to use his stick to get it into a heavy plastic box. This was then placed inside another two boxes for transporting the spider away. Tim said his family were "too traumatised to remain in the house" and had to spend the with friends.
In a statement, Waitrose said: "The safety of our customers is our absolute priority. We did everything we could to look after our customer during what was a distressing incident and we’ve apologised personally. 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."
The chain offered the family shopping vouchers worth £150 and a family day out as compensation.
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