Is this one of the feared Widows?

Photos sent in to the Courier by Elena Swain of Compton Close show spiders which bear a resemblance to the ‘False Widows’ which have been much talked about in the media recently.

The mother of three children aged ten, three and two, noticed her garden was ‘teeming’ with the spiders after she had done some research into False Widows in light of all the hype.

Ms Swain said: “I’m no expert and perhaps these aren’t the hyped false widows, however I’ve not been able to find any other close comparisons so I’m a tad concerned now, with young children especially.

“I have spotted a couple outside my bedroom window around the back of the house.

“It certainly appears, to me anyway, that the false widows have boomed and made the Midlands their home.”

False widows came into the public eye last week when reports emerged about Essex man Ricki Whitmore who almost had to have his leg amputated after being bitten by one of the spiders.

Sightings of the spiders have been reported as far north as the upper tip of East Anglia.

In response to the fear created by the stories The British Arachnological Society has provided detailed information about False Widow spiders.

Visit www.britishspiders.org.uk