TERRIFIED Luke Betts got the shock of his life after arriving home to find this tarantula had been posted through his letterbox.

Mr Betts, 23, of Bridgwater Drive, Westcliff, was called home after his younger brother Paul found the four-inch-wide spider at there.

The tarantula was perched on top of a promotional leaflet for an electrical store, but Mr Betts’ house was the only one in the street to receive the flyer.

Mr Betts, a plasterer, said he could not think of anyone who would target his home with the hairy creeper. He said: “I haven’t got any enemies or anyone who bears a grudge against me. It’s really weird.”

The spider was the size of a man’s palm, hairy and with large fangs.

Mr Betts said it was black and brown and had a big abdomen and rear. The tarantula was posted through the letterbox at about 6pm Friday. Younger brother Paul, 17, was the first on the scene, and Mr Betts said his brother’s immediate reaction was one of horror.

He said: “Paul just ran around the house screaming when he first saw it – and I don’t blame him.”

Mr Betts captured the tarantula in a saucer after Paul had ushered the rest of their pets away from the arachnid, which is believed to be either a Chilean rose, or a bird-eating spider.

Both species are venomous, but their bite is not dangerous unless the victim suffers an allergic reaction.

Mr Betts stored the spider above a heater for fear it could die of cold. He took it to nearby pet shop Scales and Fangs in London Road, Leigh, to find out more. Despite his initial horror, Luke has now decided to keep the spider, which he has named Harry.

He said: “After I saw how much it was suffering from the cold I started to feel sorry for it.

“Whoever its previous owners were, they must have been cruel to throw it through a letterbox.”