False widow spiders: what you need to know

Following reports that the venomous false widow spider is spreading across the country, Dave Clarke from ZSL London Zoo explains everything you need to know about the arachnid.
There have been sightings of the false widow spider across Britain, forcing a school to close and leaving a grandfather in hospital after a reaction to a bite from one.
Dave Clarke, head of invertebrates at ZSL London Zoo says that the false widow spider has "been around since 1867 in Britain, but they are increasing their range across the country."
He adds that people should not be too alarmed by the species.
If people are concerned about being bitten, the chances are very rare and there have certainly been no deaths from the bite in Britain.
"But if you do get bitten by one it could cause some local swelling and a bit of irritation but it's only if you are having an allergic reaction that it could be more serious."
Mr Clarke explains that the false widow spider has "a fattened abdomen", is about the size of a 50p coin, has paler legs and a dark abdomen with some white markings on it."
If you are worried about the arachnids, then Mr Clarke advises people to look at websites such as the Natural History Museum's, "where they have very good information about the species."
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