Venomous spider may have taken up residence

The false widow is one of Britain’s most venomous spiders and worryingly reports have been circulating they are migrating to places they didn’t previously inhabit.

Jim Jordan suspects one entered his Larkfield Mewdows home on Sunday.

He said: “My son Joe saw it on the ceiling in his room. He was lying down listening to music before going to work.

“There was a wee spider and a bigger spider and the wee one seemed to be dominating the bigger one.

“The wee spider, the one we think was a false widow was only about the size of your thumbnail, but it was pumped up like it was on steroids.”

He continued: “I’m not keen on spiders so my son took it and put it in a glass then put it in the bath.

“I was aware that the false widows were on the move. I’d heard that some of them had been spotted over here.

“We looked it up on Google and it looked very similar to the other false widows. There’s a lot of different types and they change colour as the grow.

“I can’t be 100% sure it was a false widow but I wasn’t for taking any chances.

“Joe wanted to throw it out the window but that way you’re never sure if they’ll attach a web and climb back in.

“I made him kill it.

“It looked like a baby, my fear is his mum and dad are still in the house.

“I’m a big man - 20 stone and I was a hard man in my day, but I’ll admit I’m scared of spiders.

“Especially this sort of spider after reading the stories about what it can do to you.”

False widows (Steatoda nobilis) have a brown bulbous abdomen with cream coloured markings, often likened to the shape of a skull. Their migration north seems to be caused by climate change.

Female false widows only bite if they feel threatened, but their venom is dangerous particularly to children and people with poor immune systems.