False widow spider spotted skulking in Northampton home

Northampton girl Janeane Williams, 24, was disturbed to find a large web on her windowsill was home to a false widow spider.

She has been unable to catch the eight-legged visitor and instead opted to wait for a photo.

Janeane said: "I'm normally okay with spiders but I don't want to even get near this one.

"I just saw this web on the window grow and grow for about a week. It was fine by me. Spiders are good for keeping flys out the house.

"But then I actually saw it and I've never seen anything like it. I've been waiting to catch a photo of it but it keeps hiding."

Although not lethal, the false widow bite is known to cause burning pain and swelling similar to a wasp sting.

They can be spotted by their brownish-reddish bodies with white markings, which some people have compared to a skull. Females can grow up to around an inch long.

Janeane says she has no idea what to do with the black widow-cousin except catch it in a glass and throw it outside.

She said: "I like to think I'll drive 100 miles away from my house before I let it out."

A spokesman for Northampton-based pest controllers Pest Professionals said: "This spider is most definitely a false widow. There are many types of false widow and all though they look pretty scary they do not pose much of a threat to human beings.

"The species is actually scared of human beings but if cornered they could bite and cause a good deal of pain."

Spiders are known to retreat inside houses as the cold weather sets in for the winter.