The creepy crawly plunged its fangs into Paula Smith, 52, making her leg to triple the size and she believes it was retaliation for destroying its web.
Hairdresser Paula Smith had to go to A&E after the bite because she had blisters the size of 10 pence coins on her calf.
She had been walking her dog with husband Neil, 53, near her home when she felt the spider nip her leg.
Paula Smith looked down to find the creature on her right calf before she knocked it away.
Three days later, after her leg had become puffy and blisters had materialised, she noticed red track marks streaking down her leg and decided to go to A&E. The doctors confirmed she’d been bitten by a false widow spider, whose bites produce necrosis of the flesh.
Most bites from bugs result in symptoms comparable to a bee or wasp sting but the fact that they’re looking for a mate at this time of the year has sent them into a bit of a frenzy.
Before heading to A&E, gran of five Paula Smith said she rang 111 after her leg became swollen and solid to the touch. She said her leg felt like someone was blowing it up, it got tighter and tighter as the night went on.
By the time she got up the next morning, it was like a huge balloon.
They went to the local chemist and they gave her hydrocortisone cream, recommended her to elevate her leg, take ibuprofen to take the swelling down and to take some antihistamines.
Within 24 hours it had blistered, gone really red, the skin had started to break down and it started to look mottled all across her calf and down her ankle and foot.
Staff at the hospital prescribed a five-day course of antibiotics and advised her to continue using hydrocortisone cream.
The doctor at the hospital said in the worst-case scenario if it wasn’t sorted immediately with antibiotics it can turn into sepsis.
Last month a roofer feared he would lose a leg after being bitten by a false widow spider.
Tony Mayne, 32, was called into hospital as his knee started seeping pus and his leg turned red and ballooned.
The United Kingdom appears to be getting hotter and hotter summers and as this happens we will no doubt start seeing more dangerous and venomous species plague the United Kingdom in the end.
Generally, spiders make it over here in fruit freights, but they don’t normally endure long in our environment, but no doubt that will change in the years to come.
