"This one was disgusting": False Widow spotted in Blackpool home

A False Widow spider has been spotted in a Blackpool home.
Mariusz spotted the spider in his garden shed.Mariusz spotted the spider in his garden shed.
Mariusz spotted the spider in his garden shed.

Mariusz Pasek, a sweet confectioner, found the creepy crawly yesterday lunchtime in his garden on Crystal Road, Blackpool.

"My children were playing in the backyard," the 38 year old said, "I opened the bike shed to take out a garden parasol".

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False Widows have been accused of causing serious injuries to humans.False Widows have been accused of causing serious injuries to humans.
False Widows have been accused of causing serious injuries to humans.
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Mariusz spotted the spider in the shed, and suspected what it was immediately.

"I am not afraid of spiders but this one was disgusting. It was really fat!

"I think it was the size of a penny."

Should we worry about False Widows?

- Arachnid experts say that although they look like their dangerous cousins Black Widows, False Widows have a relatively harmless bite.

- False Widows do have a venomous bite - and will bite humans if provoked - but scientists say that it is normally no worse than a bee sting.

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- Redness and pain around a bite usually lasts less than 12 hours

- The more extreme side effects reported in the press are likely to be secondary infections from wounds not being clean.

- False Widows were first recorded in the UK in the 1870s, though it generally prefers warmer climates.

- It has since spread Northwards as summer temperatures have gradually risen.

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