Kevin and Nicola Hudson and their sons Danny, Rhys and Josh were all in their kitchen, in Elmswell, and just about to wash the grapes in the sink, when Kevin noticed the spider nestling in the bottom of the plastic pouch.

They quickly realised the spider, which had been kept in the fridge for two days, was not from England so they caught it in a plastic container and spent several days trying to find out what it was.

Nicola said: "We didn't know what to do with it. It's not the sort of thing you can put outside and I didn't really want it to be killed.

"Every phone call we made, nobody knew what to do with it but the vets were really helpful in the end. It could have had serious consequences."

Mrs Hudson said she called ASDA, in Stowmarket, where the grapes were bought, but the person she spoke didn't understand the seriousness of the situation and told them to put it outside.

The tarantula has since found a home in Stonham Aspal at Abbey Reptiles and Abbey Aquatics and is looking much healthier.

Colin White, owner of the centre, said it may have been a shock to the Hudsons but he receives around half-a-dozen cases a year where frogs, spiders and snakes are found in with people's supermarket shopping.

Mr White, who said the tarantula was the size of a 50p piece, said: "It's probably keeping him in the fridge that saved his life as they go into a kind of hibernation.

"All tarantulas are venomous, but it's to what degree. If he bites, it'll probably be just like a big bee sting."

A spokesman for ASDA apologised if it caused any distress and said they had never had a tarantula reported in a bunch of grapes before but would like to find out how it could have got there.

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