A spider that causes permanent erections in men has forced a supermarket in Austria to close.
The Penny shop in the town of Krems an der Donau has been shut down after a store manager spotted the deadly creature.
Emergency services were called to the supermarket and warned that the arachnid may have been the highly-venomous Brazilian Wandering Spider – which has been known to reach Europe by hiding in banana bunches.
The spider’s bites can be fatal and also causes hypothermia, blurred vision, convulsions and erections.
The critters are being studied for use in erectile dysfunction treatments as it was found that a bite can give male victims a painful feeling of long-lasting sexual arousal.
An exterminator has been called in but the spider remains at large and the store is likely to be closed until next week.
A spokesman for the Rewe retail group confirmed that “comprehensive cleaning and disinfection measures” are taking place to prepare the supermarket for reopening.
