A venomous false widow spider has been found in a home in Ruislip.
Charley Barrat, who lives in Shaldon Drive, Ruislip Manor, discovered the spider - said to be a cousin of the deadly black widow spider - in her home this morning. (Tuesday, July 15)
After trapping it in a glass and calling in pest control, who identified it as the false widow, or Steatoda nobilis, Miss Barrat and her two daughters Roxie, eight and Kelsey, four were forced to evacuate their home.
"I was bitten my something a few days ago so I had been looking online to see what it could be so that's why I knew what a false widow looked like.
"When I saw it I trapped it in a glass and sent a photo to the pest control people who identified it and straight away arranged to come round.
"It won't really harm an adult but I was worried that it could have bitten my daughters," Miss Barrat said.
Pest control officers are now fumigating her home - filling it with gaseous pesticides - to get rid of any other spiders inside.
Sightings of the false widow spider, with its orange legs and distinctive skull-like body marking, are reportedly on the rise across the country.
According to information from the Natural History Museum, four species are native to the UK and two have been accidentally introduced with traded goods.
No-one in the UK has died from a false widow spider bite, but a bite is likely to cause pain and swelling but is said to be no worse than a wasp sting, and less common.
Some victims also report feeling feverish or generally unwell as well as suffering chest pains.
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