SHOCKED supermarket workers ran for cover after discovering a poisonous scorpion had hidden itself in a box of bananas shipped to Scotland from South America.

Staff at the Morrisons store panicked when the stowaway - which had travelled thousands of miles from Columbia - made a dash from its hiding place and onto the shop floor.

The supermarket staff captured the inch long creepy crawly in a plastic box before contacting the Scottish SPCA.

The scorpion was taken from the store in Cambuslang, Glasgow, to the charity's Glasgow Animal Rescue and Rehoming Centre at Cardonald.

The scorpion has since found a home at the Edinburgh Butterfly and Insect World where staff have named the young female Sam.

Scottish SPCA ambulance driver Pam Cairns said: "We believe this is a juvenile desert hairy scorpion, which are common in Columbia.

"They do sting but thankfully are not harmful to humans.

"The staff at Morrisons very bravely scooped the scorpion up into a plastic box to contain him until I arrived.

"It's none the worse for wear despite its long distance journey and we're delighted Edinburgh Butterfly and Insect World have given it a home.

"If anyone does find a creature from abroad we would always advise not to touch it, but to contain it until we arrive by putting a box over it, with some small holes in the sides for air."

Andrew McDonald, general manager at the Edinburgh Butterfly and Insect World added: "We have named her Sam.

"She's about one inch long and will grow to just over two inches.

"She is a hardy little thing and is designed to adapt to her surroundings.

"Scorpions like Sam will give a fully grown adult a nasty sting that could last for about an hour. But the very young and pensioners could be in agony for about four to five hours.

"However she is not a killer.

"We are delighted to have her with us and look forward to monitoring her progress."

A spokesman for Morrisons said: "We take the quality and safety of all the products we sell very seriously."