A Surrey teenager who gave up his supermarket job for a side hustle as Spider-Man says he now makes double his old daily salary - in an hour.

Nate Frindall, 19, started his superhero gig three years ago after he dressed up as the character to see the latest film.

When he arrived to his local cinema in costume, he says he was greeted by applause and encouraged to do a backflip - to which he says the crowd went wild.

After telling his parents about the encounter that night, he made the decision to start a new side hustle as a superhero impersonator, and spent £800 on a high-quality suit.

Three years later, the business has hugely taken off, and Nate says he is booked up for children’s parties every weekend this month.

His side hustle makes him double what he used to make in an eight-hour supermarket shift in just an hour, and he says he absolutely loves the job.

Working at the checkout he was paid £12.40 an hour, adding up to just under £100 for a full day’s work.

Now, he charges £75 for a 30-minute meet-and-greet or £150 for an hour, plus £250 for an hour party package with games and photos, and £300 for a two-hour party.

Nate said: “I found myself working in a supermarket doing eight-hour shifts and I was making double the money in one hour doing this on the weekend.

“It doesn’t take up much of my time and it is lovely to see kids smile because of the realism of the suit, they genuinely think I am Spiderman. So, they get a big shock.

“People are always surprised. They usually think it is cool and love that I do this. My friends used to make fun of me for doing it but I am making good money so they are laughing at money.

“I also really enjoy it so I am not really bothered by other people’s opinions.”

To promote his business, Nate attended lots of local events in costume and handed out his business card, as well as posting on local Facebook groups.

This means that he spent no money on starting his business other than on buying the suits, which he has now bought two more of for a total of £2,300.

His act, which involves backflips and walking handstands where safe, has been booked by celebrities such as KSI’s birthday party and the child of a Dragon on the BBC show Dragon’s den.

Nate added: “I absolutely love doing it. To see these kids really happy that I have made their party and turned up to surprise them is great.

“I am booked every weekend in March. It is definitely getting busier. It has paid off. I didn’t have to spend anything to promote it, just time.”

Nate also does music on the side with dreams of becoming a producer, as well as acting as an extra, and he has a TikTok comedy page with his cousins which boasts over £10,000 followers.

He says that he would encourage any other young people who have a business idea to take the leap and start their side hustle, as the job market continues to be tough.

He added: “Not many people that I know are doing what I’m doing. I don’t like hospitality or retail jobs. If you can find a niche gap in the market then you are going to get better money for it.

“I found it really hard to get a job because there is so much competition. Especially people who are getting out of uni, and I didn’t go to university.

“I would 100 percent recommend doing a side hustle or a freelancing gig. It really is a good idea.”