The nest of a venomous spider, the false widow spider, has been found in a Buckinghamshire garden. Local pest controllers have dealt with the nest, but council officers warned Bletchley residents that there may be more.
The spiders' bite is not lethal, but is painful, according to local experts. Liam Mooney from Milton Keynes Council told the BBC: "The spiders have larger fangs than other species and venom behind them. The bite is worse than a wasp sting".
They are known to live in Britain, unlike the actual black widow species. They tend to live along the coastal areas of southern England and in London. The spiders are related to the black widow, but do not have the distinctive red spot on their backs. They make similar "tangle" webs, which are full of eggs. This means that there are likely to be many spiders in the same small area.
The nest in Bletchley was discovered behind a wooden panel, which is typical of the environment the spiders favour. They are often found around houses under leaves or logs, but rarely indoors.
According to Stuart Hine of the Natural History Museum's Insect Information Service, no one has ever died of a spider bite in Britain and the number of reported bites from spiders in general is minimal. However, the Insect Information Service reports 10 annual cases of spider bites across the country.