EIGHT-LEGGED INVASION
Proof there are MORE spiders this year as record numbers invade UK homes after warm and wet summer
SPIDERS are plaguing the UK in record numbers – as boffins reveal we are seeing more and more these eight-legged freaks.
People across Britain are being left in agony because of life-threatening false widow spider bites which have left victims permanently disabled.
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The arachnids are invading British homes in record numbers due to this year's warm and wet summer, scientists claim.
Unprecedented temperatures and heavy rain in parts of the UK have created the perfect breeding ground for insects spiders like to eat.
As a result, Britons appear to be finding more eight-legged creatures in their homes than usual.
A study carried out in 2018 showed 7.35pm was the most active time for spiders during their mating season.
There was also a peak in sightings between 6am and 8am, suggesting the spiders were lurking down kitchen and bathroom plugholes overnight.
Eight-legged invasion
Professor Adam Hart, of University of Gloucester, told the Telegraph: “It certainly looks as if people are getting quite excited by it quite early this year.
“People are saying that they are seeing more than they normally do.”
Professor Hart added that while there's “not much you can do” in the fight against house spiders, they are attracted to piles of mess so keeping clothes and other junk off the floor is important.
Removing their webs and filling gaps in walls and surfaces with filler can also reduce the number of potential spider dens.
There are 650 types of spiders in the UK, including 12 that are harmful to humans.
False widow spiders are the main offenders and have most recently been found in the south of England.
It certainly looks as if people are getting quite excited by it quite early this year. People are saying that they are seeing more than they normally do.
Professor Adam Hart
We told last week how one young dad was left unable to walk and suffered weeks of agony after being bitten by the venomous beasts in Southampton.
Lewis Pearce, 26, was bitten five times, and his three-year-old son Freddie was also bitten as they slept in their beds, leaving the family petrified.
And he's not alone — other victims have had their wounds turn septic leading to full limb amputations, and even death.
Now worried experts are warning that the chilling false widow population has exploded across the UK in 2019.
Lewis said: “I can’t walk as it’s very difficult and I haven’t been able to shower properly for over a month as I can’t get the dressing wet.
"The bites are painful and now I’m scared for my children, especially for my seven-month-old baby who sleeps in the same room as me - and during the night is when I’m usually bitten.”
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His wife Nadine, 26, said: "It petrifies me. If my children are bitten like he has been, they won’t stand a chance.
“When people are being bitten alive, how are we meant to pay rent?
A spokesperson for Southampton City Council said: “We take all complaints of this nature seriously.
"While we haven’t been notified of any other households having this issue, we will investigate and advise tenants accordingly.”
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Dad, 26, unable to walk for two months after he and son, 3, ravaged by false widow spiders
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