A NEWPORT man is receiving hospital treatment after being bitten by a tarantula hiding in a bunch of bananas.

The arachnid is believed to have crawled out of a bunch of bananas bought two months ago by the Bettws man, and remains on the loose in his house.

A Newport animal expert said the spider is likely to be a baboon spider, a type of tarantula.

RSPCA officers were to return to the house today to try to capture the spider, which has now bitten the householder, as he slept, on two occasions.

A spokesman for the RSPCA said: "The man called the helpline and RSPCA inspectors attended the address in Bettws yesterday.

"He told them what had happened, and that he had been suffering from dehydration and severe vomiting, and the bite had given him the 'worst pain in his life'.

"He followed their advice and went to hospital, where he is currently being treated."

Peter Heathcote, of the Exotic Animal Welfare Trust, a Newport-based charity, has agreed to identify and relocate the spider if RSPCA officers capture it.

He said: "From the information I've heard so far it sounds like a baboon spider, which is not lethal.

"The baboon spider is from Africa and more likely to hide among bananas than a tarantula, which is native to America."

Mr Heathcote said the pain would normally last up to 18 hours, and the usual treatment was anti-histamine and painkillers.

"It's quite an aggressive creature which is known to come out and face up to other animals that bother it, so it should be quite easy to find," he added.