Former arachnophobe opens specialist spider shop

Richard Lewis says it took him 12 months to cure himself of his spider phobia

A businessman who was once "terrified" of spiders has overcome his phobia and opened up a specialist shop that sells the creepy crawlies.

Richard Lewis launched Arachnospace in Hereford on Saturday after a year of watching YouTube videos that he claimed cured him of his debilitating fear.

"I used to be terrified of them," he said. "If I saw one in my bedroom, I'd have to get someone to come in and remove it, and that's only going back 12 months."

Mr Lewis said he now wanted to pass on his knowledge and love of what he called "misunderstood, beautiful animals".

His new venture in Shell Store Canary Drive was a "case of facing my fears" about spiders and taking it further, he added.

"It's actually a really nice hobby, and they're actually quite relaxing animals to work with."

• Listen on BBC Sounds: From arachnophobe to spider shop owner

Mr Lewis believes spiders are "misunderstood"

Mr Lewis said the key to unlocking his newfound love for the eight-legged creatures was through education.

"It was about learning and educating myself about these animals that the fear actually wasn't warranted.

"I learnt from YouTube videos," he said. "They've really helped with proving these animals are not what society is telling us. They're really easy to keep."