Burly British removalists were left terrified when a huntsman spider emerged from a shipping container they were unloading in Surrey.

The BBC reports the arachnid was the "size of a guinea pig", causing one of the men to flee in fright.

However, British RSPCA officer Annie Janes said the huntsman was the one lucky to be alive after surviving the 16,000-kilometre journey from Australia.

The spider was found among outdoor furniture parts stowed with the belongings of a family relocating from Brisbane to the town of Merstham, south of London.