Tarantula found in Lancashire garden

A woman in Bolton, Lancashire got a fright this week when she discovered a 10cm wide Chilean rose tarantula crawling through her back garden.

20-year-old Lisa Broad from the Oldhams Estate in Bolton suffered her worst nightmare when she spotted the hairy arachnid creeping about.

“I was putting out the rubbish and saw it standing there next to a plant pot.” Lisa told This Is Lancashire

“At first I thought I was seeing things or someone had played a nasty trick.

“I screamed to get my brother. Then the spider got up on its back legs as though it was going to start a fight.”

Lisa’s 16-year-old brother Andrew naturally thought his sister was taking the piss, but he couldn’t believe his eyes when he saw the huge spider.

“He wouldn’t believe it was so big, but when he saw it, he wouldn’t touch it either!” Lisa said.

“Everyone in my house is scared witless of spiders. We get them a lot and have to get neighbours to take them out — but this was something on a different scale. I have never had a shock like it.

“I went to get a neighbour to help. He got a shoebox and managed to trap it. It tried to escape out of the side so we had to tape up the edges and put in some air holes.”

The Broads called the RSPCA who put them in touch with Smithills Open Farm who have given the tarantula a new home and put it on display.

Manager Rebecca Hall believes the spider is most likely an escaped pet.

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