BASINGSTOKE firefighters had an unusual rescue mission when more than 60 venomous spider were caught in a house blaze.

A crew from Basingstoke Fire Station were called to Culver Road just after noon yesterday.

The initial call came in for a fire and the caller said some of his spiders had escaped.

When the crew arrived on scene they discovered a small fire and several cases containing spiders, some of which were poisonous.

The crew used a knapp sack pump to extinguish the fire and helped the owner to remove the spiders from the affected area.

Several spiders perished in the fire.