A COUPLE were given a fright after discovering a giant moth in their living room.

The imposing insect was first spotted by Rebecca Cottrell's boyfriend on the lounge door at their Thingwall home in Wirral on Sunday morning, much to his alarm.

Rebecca said: "My boyfriend said 'What's that on the door'? At first I thought it was feathers off a bird but he then said 'it's a moth'!

"Needless to say I didn’t believe him at first, but when I realised it was in fact a moth I freaked out and didn’t have a clue what to do.

Chester and District Standard:

"If I see a big enough spider I am ready to move house!"

After plucking up enough courage, the couple eventually captured the moth and released it in the garden, but they are fearful that it might return.

A Wirral moth expert, however, has confirmed that despite its appearance the menacing moth is not dangerous.

Justin Williams, Hon. Sec. Lancashire & Cheshire Entomological Society, said: "This is a Poplar Hawkmoth. It's one of the commoner hawkmoth species in the UK, and is found all over the Wirral and Cheshire - although it's not often seen by the general public.

"It is quite unusual for it to be found indoors, but like many moth species these moths are attracted to light.

Chester and District Standard:

"Although they are pretty much bat-sized, they're completely harmless and contrary to urban myth, these won't eat your clothes or your carpets!

"There are websites that help people to identify any moths (or other insects they see) and these sightings provide valuable records for the monitoring numbers and the overall health and diversity of the local environment."

For more details contact reECOrd, the biological recording centre for Wirral, Cheshire, Warrington and Halton: www.record-lrc.co.uk/

A poll commissioned by the National Trust says that UK residents have become more interested in nature since the coronavirus pandemic outbreak in March.

Whether Rebecca and her boyfriend have is a different story.