Manchester Family Spot Scorpion On The Loose In Their Kitchen

A family in Manchester was left quaking with fear when they spotted a scorpion scuttling around their city centre apartment.

Emma Chadwick said her son Cyrus Bulsara, 19, spotted the 1.5-inch creature when he was home from university.

Suspected to be an Emperor Scorpion, native to West Africa, it could have ended up in central Manchester by hitching a ride in someone’s luggage, or it could be an escaped pet.

After calling the RSPCA, Emma and Cyrus tried to catch the scorpion but it was too fast for them.

Emma explained, “Cyrus was back from uni when he came into tell me at about 11.30pm that he saw a scorpion in the kitchen - that’s not something you expect to hear.

"We tried to get it, but it was like the Usain Bolt of scorpions and it ran off under the kitchen cupboards before we could get to it.”

It was too late in the day to get hold of the RSPCA and the police weren’t able to help, so they resolved to try again the next morning.

“Obviously we didn’t sleep very well that night,” Emma said.

“The next day the brave lady from the RSPCA came and took the skirting boards away but couldn’t find it.”

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She added: “We were told to put flour down so they could track it’s movements if it came back out.

“I think it’s more scared of us than the other way around but it’s still not something you want scuttling around.

"It’s made everyone very twitchy.”

Emperor scorpions can grow up to 23cm long (around 9inches), so this one is thought to be a baby. Since they give birth to 100 young at a time, there were fears that there could be a nest of scorpions somewhere in the building.

Residents have been warned to keep an eye out for the creatures.

A letter sent to all tenants reads, “A scorpion has been seen in an apartment in the building. The RSPCA have attended and have been unable to find the animal.

“It is possible that it has left the flat so the following advice has been given by the RSPCA.

“The scorpion is about one and a half inches long. It will scurry away if approached and only might sting if surprised and feels threatened. The RSPCA officer believes it will have entered the building in somebody’s holiday luggage.”

Anyone who finds a scorpion where it shouldn’t be should not try to handle it. Instead, cover it with a tub and contact the RSPCA on 0300 1234 999.

Anyone stung by the creature should seek immediate medical advice.

Lead image: Dirk Funhoff / imageBROKER/REX/Shutterstock