'If it stings you, you'll die': Berkshire woman finds dangerous scorpion inside home

• The scorpion was found inside the Berkshire home and can kill people with its sting

A woman from Berkshire has described her shock after finding a dangerous scorpion, which can kill people with its sting, inside her home.

Payge Aitchison from Arborfield Green opened the door to her house last week in the dark to find what she thought was a spider or earwig on the skirting board.

Realising it wasn't, she called her friend to ask what to do. The pair decided it could be a scorpion.

Ms Aitchison got a box and caught it.

She said: "I put it on the table and just kind of looked at it for a few minutes like what am I going to do with this? It can't live in the box forever and I'm certainly not going to squash it."

She decided to contact the National Centre for Reptile Welfare who asked for a photograph of the scorpion.

When they saw it, Ms Aitchison said they were "very shocked".

"That's when I realised it was a dangerous scorpion", she added.

"He said just want to check it's in a sealed container, it can't get out? I said yes it's locked in a tupperware box.

"He said if it stings you, you'll die.

"I was glad I didn't know that when I was trying to capture it, I don't know how I would have reacted had the tables been turned.

"Just a bit of panic and definitely fear."

• Ms Aitchison called the National Centre for Reptile Welfare for help

Within an hour, Berkshire Reptile Rescue had collected it and taken it to their rescue centre.

They then handed it to the National Centre for Reptile Welfare who looked at it in more detail.

Chris Newman, Director of National Centre for Reptile Welfare based in Kent, said without knowing its country of origin, it's difficult to identify the species.

However, they believe it's a Brazilian Yellow tailed scorpion with Mr Newman adding: "If we are correct on that then they're actually one of the most dangerous scorpions in the world".

He said they are life threatening and can cause fatalities.

The centre says they can arrive in luggage from abroad or in produce like bananas. But this year, they've seen them arriving in parcels.

Ms Aitchison says she'll be opening her parcels more cautiously in the future, adding: "I think it'll be a story I'm telling for many years to come.

"Who's going to believe that I tussled with a dangerous scorpion? I mean who does that?"

Anybody who finds a scorpion should not touch it with their hands and use a box to contain it. They should then call the National Centre for Reptile Welfare who will collect it.

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