A North East woman was left shocked after finding a toxic scorpion on her kitchen floor earlier this week. 

Lesley Marsden, from Masham, said that she spotted the small arachnid on her kitchen floor, managing to catch it in a container. 

She found the scorpion - which was about one and a half inches long - on Tuesday (November 26).

Ms Marsden left the baby scorpion in the capable hands of the team at Aquatic Finatic, an exotic pet shop in Northallerton. 

Experts at the shop believe it is a young Asian Forest Scorpion, a species which is sometimes kept as pets, and which can grow to five inches in length. 

(Image: Aquatic Finatic) Ms Marsden believes that the scorpion may have got into her house via a package of clothes from China, or in a bunch of bananas. 

Guy Dillon, who has worked at the shop for two years, said: "Initially, we presumed it to be a misidentification, but nevertheless, we invited Lesley to bring the creature in.

"We were rather shocked when she arrived with what looked like an Asian Forest Scorpion in a container. It was quite the surprise!

"There was no obvious reason for why it was there. Initially, Lesley thought it may have been from a package of clothes from China, but that would have meant it was hiding under her fridge for weeks." 

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Though the sting of the Asian Forest Scorpion can be toxic, Guy confirmed that the arachnids tend to have timid dispositions, and are more likely to run and hide than to fight. 

The little creature has been named Edward Scissor Hands by shop staff, and will be used in their educational visits to schools and community groups, where they teach youngsters about animals and their habitats. 

Guy said: "The scorpion has settled in well, and is currently kept in our temperature-controlled reptile room."