PRANKSTERS ensured there were a few restless nights for people living in one Hereford suburb,

A poster was put up in St James on Tuesday appealing for the safe return of the tarantula called “fangs” – and offered a small reward for the spider’s safe return.

The laminated note, pinned to a lamppost in Grove Road, was headlined “lost in this location”. And underneath a picture of a tarantula, the appeal stated that the family pet was likely to see out a warm and dry place to hide.

The appeal was widely shared on social media, with many sufferers of arachnophobia expressing their fears.

However, when a reporter from this newspaper called the contact details on the poster, a rather mystified man explained that he was the innocent victim of a prank by his friends.