A WOMAN who spotted a humongous mysterious spider scuttling around on a green said her first thought was "to run".

Amy Lyons, a mother of two girls, was heading across Baildon Green to pick one of her daughters up from school at 11.30am yesterday when she stumbled upon the "beast".

The stand-off happened just down from where the Cricketers Arms pub is, off Lower Green.

Ms Lyons said: "I actually thought a mouse ran across the path in front of me, but I looked down and saw that.

"I first thought it was a false widow but it was much too big, and honestly my first thought was to run, but I didn't.

"I'd never seen a spider that big that wasn't a pet, so I was horrified but really wanted to know what it was."

The spider was a red marble colour, with long black legs and a large, bulbous body.

Ms Lyons took to social media to try solve the mystery of what species the spider was.

She posted on Baildon Community Group on Facebook.

She said: "Can anyone identify this beast I saw on Baildon Green today?

"I first thought false widow, but it's massive compared to them."

The post sparked panic among many residents, with one individual declaring they were going to "leave the country".

Others made light of the situation, with one commenter jokingly posing the question if the "beast" was a baby goose or pheasant, before exclaiming: "Hope it doesn't jump on a car roof."

Overall though it seems most people were leaning towards the species being a cave spider.

The T&A's resident wildlife lover and digital reporter, David Jagger, used a spider identification app to confirm what commenters were saying.