A venomous spider normally found in Africa or Asia has been discovered by workers in an overseas shipping container in Dumbarton.

Workers at the West Dunbartonshire manufacturing firm found the Huntsman spider on Friday morning.

The Scottish SPCA was called by workers amid concerns the unidentified spider could be poisonous.

The stowaway is usually found in tropical regions in Africa and Asia, and although not lethal, its bite can be extremely painful to humans.

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Staff managed to coerce the spider into a clear bag before the Scottish SPCA arrived.

Animal rescue officer Emma Bonner was first to arrive at the scene. She said, “We were called to a manufacturing business on Stirling Road, Dumbarton, on Friday morning, after we received reports of a large spider.

“When I arrived one of the employees had managed to get the spider inside a clear bag within a container. We didn’t know if it was venomous.”

Arnold Bretman, development engineer at Aggreko Manufacturing, was brave enough to catch the spider.

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He said: “It was about five inches across the legs, so fairly obvious that it was no ordinary local spider.

“It was scurrying around the factory and people were hopping around to avoid it, so I collected it.

“The Scottish SPCA girl turned up with a small plastic tub, but the spider was too big to fit.

“It was identified as a Chinese Huntsman that probably got into one of our containers in China, which had been at sea for at least a month. How it survived for that length of time and then in our climate, is amazing.”

A spider expert identified it as a Huntsman, and it is believed to be a female due to a yellow stripe on its abdomen.

Scottish SPCA chief inspector Fiona Henderson said the “tough little spider” did well to survive in such a cold climate.

“If a Huntsman spider bites you it will not kill you but it does contain venom. If you do get bitten by one it can be extremely painful.

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“Because it’s a Huntsman it’s not native to this country so we can’t release the spider anywhere in Scotland.”

The charity aims to find a specialist home for the unexpected guest and has urged anyone who discovers an exotic creature to call their animal helpline on 03000 999 999.