AN IT engineer suffered flash burns after using a DIY flame-thrower to kill a spider which was frightening his wife.

Chris Welding, 28, has been left with his hands in bandages after trying to get rid of the creepy- crawly in his bathroom.

He leapt to the rescue when his 20-year-old wife asked him to get rid of the beast lurking behind the toilet bowl at their house in Clacton.

Mr Welding grabbed a can of deodorant and used a lighter to turn it into a makeshift flame-thrower to kill the creature.

But the flames came bursting out from behind the toilet’s U-bend and blew back in his face.

The father-of-two said: “My wife was getting ready for bed and suddenly she let out a scream.

“She said there was a spider in the bathroom and asked me to get rid of it – neither she nor the kids would go in there.

“The spider had crawled into the recess behind the loo and there was no way I could get to it.

“Stupid as it is, I grabbed a can of deodorant and a lighter and sprayed it behind the loo. The flame shot out and went round the back of the toilet and came back out at me. It was a bit of a shock.”

His shaken wife dialled 999 for help while Mr Welding jumped into the shower to cool his injuries with cold water.

Two fire crews and an ambulance were scrambled to the house at just after 10.30pm and Mr Welding was given first aid before being taken to Colchester General Hospital to be checked over.

He said: “I’ve got two burned fingers and a burned knuckle. I wasn’t badly injured but they wanted to check I hadn’t inhaled any of the fumes. They let me come back the same night.

“The ambulance and fire crews were great, they got here really quickly. They found it pretty funny.

“I do feel a bit stupid – next time I think I’ll just let the spider go.”

A spokesman for Essex County Fire and Rescue Service said Mr Welding sprayed the spider at first with an aerosol. “When that didn’t appear to work, he lit up his lighter to spread some light on the situation.

“There was an almighty explosion which blew the man back into his hallway and lifted the hatch on the loft. He did exactly the right thing by jumping into the shower and cooling his burns with cold water while his wife raised the alarm.”

By the time the crews arrived the blaze was out – but there was no trace of the spider.

The spokesman added: “There was some scorching to the back of the toilet but any fire was out before crews arrived at the scene.”

A spokeswoman for Essex Ambulance Service said the service was called in to treat Mr Welding for burns.

She added: “We were called at about 10.35pm.

We had a rapid response car there within two minutes, backed up by an ambulance. One patient who suffered burns was treated at the scene and taken to Colchester General Hospital.”

Mr Welding is now recovering at home.