Killer spider nightmare sends family of six packing

The Brazilian wandering spider's venom can kill a person in two hours.

A spider claimed to be the world's deadliest is feared to be on the loose in Britain after a family spotted a nest in a bunch of bananas.

Keith Hobbs and his wife Laura fled with their four children when told it was probably the Brazilian wandering spider, which can have legs up to 15cm long and kill with its venomous bite.

They found the cocoon at their home in Nuneaton, Warwickshire, on Thursday. "As soon as we knew what they were we just grabbed the kids, who were in their pyjamas, and ran out the house," Mr Hobbs, 32, told the Sun newspaper.

"We've spent the night in a hotel room. It's terrifying - it's like a bad dream." The family's nightmare began when Mrs Hobbs's parents bought them the bananas from an Aldi store in Leicestershire.

After she opened the bag and found the nest, her husband called police and contacted wildlife experts. The Aldi shop was temporarily shut on Friday but later reopened after no spiders were found.

Aldi has reportedly agreed to pay for the Hobbs's hotel bill and for a pest control firm to fumigate their home. "Recent reports alleging that the eggs of the Brazilian wandering spider have been found in a bunch of bananas at the Aldi store in Hinckley are unsubstantiated," a spokesman told the Mail Online.

"The bananas in question have been removed from the store and sent for expert analysis."

Venom from the Brazilian wandering spider can kill a person in two hours, with victims suffering nausea, hypothermia and convulsions.

The spider is fast moving and aggressive, with a body up to 5cm long, six small eyes and two large ones, and large red fangs it displays by raising its front two legs.

Declared the most venomous spider in the world by the Guinness Book of Records, it is found in South and Central America and its Greek name, Phoneutria, translates as "murderess".

Although an effective anti-venom exists, at least 10 people have been killed by the spider in Brazil. The true total is believed to be higher.

- AAP