A man trying to kill a spider ended up setting fire to his house in Bridgend - a month after an American man did the same thing.

The attempt to get rid of the insect saw the man spray it with an aerosol and then apply a “naked fame”, South Wales Fire and Rescue said.

“We attended an incident in Kenfig Hill at 11.57am today to extinguish a small fire at the rear of a property due to the occupant attempting to remove a spider from a rear window by initially spraying the insect with an aerosol and then proceeding to light it,” a spokeswoman for the fire service told Wales Online.

“There are more conventional ways of getting rid of insects.”

She added that members of the public should “avoid using aerosols inappropriately and should never ignite the gas… due to their volatile nature and the risk of severe injuries should they explode, as well as the damage such an explosion causes”.

A single hose was used to put out the fire which was confined to a small area at the back of the house.

Last month, a man in Seattle caused an estimated £23,000 of damage to his rented house and lost £11,000 worth of goods when he accidentally set fire to the building while trying to kill a spider.

Firefighters told KIRO TV that the man had used a can of spray paint and a lighter as a blowtorch.

“There were giant clouds of smoke pouring out of the windows,” said neighbour Kaitlin Sharp.