A shopworker was stung by a SCORPION which stowed away in a box of bananas.
William Clarke, 48, was unpacking a box of Columbian bananas at frozen food store Farmfoods when the arachnid lashed out with its poisonous tail.
Despite the pain, William caught the scorpion in a coffee jar and took it hospital so medics know what they were dealing with.
He spent a night at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary before being released unharmed. The scorpion was handed over to the SSPCA.
William, of Stonehaven, said: ”I was just getting ready to go home when when I noticed there were no bananas on the shop floor so I went to get a box.
”As I removed the lid I got a really sharp stinging pain in my finger.
”At first I thought it was just a centipede but when I moved back the bananas and the cardboard I saw there was actually a scorpion in the bottom of the box.”
SSPCA Chf Insp John Carle had never come across a scorpion in 26 years.
He added: ”It’s not deadly but it would certainly give you a sting or a bite that would be the equivalent to a very nasty bee sting.
”Staff that are handling it at our centre have got to be very careful until we get a positive identification.”
