World's biggest spider spotted in UK after menacing beast arrived in shipping container

dailystar.co.uk:

The world's biggest spider, which can grow to a foot in width, has been found in the UK by terrified dock workers who noticed it in a shipping container.Staff at the dock in Hull saw the huntsman, which hitched a ride 5,000 miles from China, and rushed to call the RSPCA.The spider is not deadly to humans but can cause a series of issues when it bites, including heart palpitations, vomiting and headaches.A spokesman from the animal welfare charity said: "The spider fancied a holiday so he hopped on a shipping container in China and ended up in Hull."He gave staff quite a fright.

He's now having some R&R at a specialist rescue centre."Two years ago, warehouse workers in Southwold, Suffolk found a huntsman in a shipment.At the time, Inspector Jason Finch said: “Huntsman spiders can grow up to 12 inches in leg span so are a large variety.“This spider was on the smaller side and was only around 2.5 inches from leg to leg.“He'd obviously been in the container for some time, without access to food and water, but he was still active and seemed to be OK.”He added that finding hitchhiking spiders in shipping containers "happens quite often.""These creatures are often picked up by mistake and end up being shut inside containers or boxes," he said.“Huntsman spiders are venomous but are not dangerous to people although they can give a nasty bite so we would always advise caution around them."While huntsman spiders have been known to bite humans in the past they are not generally considered a threat to humans.Their venom is not considered deadly for humans.They are incredibly common in Australia and at their biggest, their leg span can reach between 10 and 12 inches..