STAFF in a flower shop were caught on the hop when a highly-poisonous frog leapt out of a delivery from South America.

Debbie Wilding was sorting a delivery at Ruth Marriner Flowers, in Cherry Tree, Blackburn, when she spotted the tiny brown and yellow frog.

It is now thought to be a Phantasmal poison frog and is being held by experts from the Myerscough College small animal team, in Witton Park, before being taken to Blackpool Zoo.

Boss Ruth Marriner, of Tockholes, said it was the most bizarre find in her 30 years as a florist.

She said that after calling experts, they were told not to touch the creature, which had come in on a delivery from Columbia.

Mrs Marriner said: “Debbie was unwrapping a pack of tropical foliage and, as she was going through it, she spotted something jump.

We are not squeamish because you often get spiders, or snails, in the packs. Louise Ryding, who works here, rang her sister-in-law at Myerscough College and they said ‘don’t touch it’.

“When they arrived it took three of them to catch it because it was hopping all over the place and it was only one-and a-half-inches long.

“We don’t know for sure what the frog is, but we have called it Flora the frog.

"The chances are it is a Phantasmal poison frog, which means that we were very lucky not to be injured.”

The frog had come from Columbia via an auction in Holland, where it would then have been refrigerated by lorry to Huddersfield, before its final journey to Blackburn.

Mrs Marriner said: “It was very lively considering the journey it had made. We are looking forward to taking our families to see it when it goes to Blackpool Zoo.”