There have been sightings of the false widow spider across Britain, forcing a school to close and leaving a grandfather in hospital after a reaction to a bite from one.Experts believe the increase in the number of sightings of the false widow could be due to changes in the climate, particularly Britain’s slow start to the summer followed by a heatwave.
the species was becoming “more common and more widespread.”
the spider can be about the size of a 50p coin, was now quite common in parts of the South East and people were more likely to spot them in autumn because this is when the false widow is grown to full size.
“It is likely that this spread is at least partly a response to a changing climate and as such we’re expecting the species to continue to increase its distribution within the UK