A large spider is on the loose after sneaking its way into a box of bananas inside a posh Waitrose store, sparking a worried search for the eight-legged creature
An urgent search is underway to find a ‘tarantula-like’ spider that was found in a box on bananas at a British supermarket.
The large arachnid was said to have been uncovered by shocked staff in the warehouse area of the Waitrose store in Christchurch, Dorset.
The frightening incident happened last week and the spider has not been found since then. An anyonymous source described the spider as like a tarantula.
A spokesperson for Waitrose said they were trying to find out where it came from as a ‘matter of urgency’.
Although they said it would be misleading to describe it as ‘tarantula-like’, they haven’t said why.
They stressed the spider was not in the customer area of the shop and not near any customer orders.
The spokesperson said: “We’re investigating the spider’s origin as a matter of urgency in order to make sure the appropriate steps are taken to make sure this doesn’t happen again.”
The spokesperson said the Christchurch branch has also been in contact with ‘experts’ to visit the store and complete a thorough check.
In 2014 a lethal Brazilian wandering spider was found hiding in a bunch of bananas a family from south London had bought from a Waitrose store.
The tarantula-like spider is normally found in the tropical rain forests of South America, and has caused 14 reported deaths since 1926.
According to its website, Waitrose imports its fresh bananas from Columbia, Panama, Dominican Republic, Peru and Nicaragua.
Spiders that are not UK species are occasionally found in imported fruit such as grapes or bananas; these can include species that are more seriously venomous.
The advice from the Natural History Museum is that if you find spiders under these circumstances it is always worth seeking advice.
You can get these identified by emailing an image to the Museum’s identification service.
You can email a photo to the Musuem’s Identification and Advisory Service: [email protected]
