A Blackpool man was left reliant on a wheelchair after Britain’s deadliest spider bit him on the leg, causing the limb to swell to the size of a watermelon.
Glenn Priestley, 73, was hospitalised for over a fortnight after a noble false widow spider attacked him last month.
The arachnid – which is the only spider capable of delivering a ‘medically significant’ injury – was hiding underneath a blanket on the floor of his mother’s loft.
The retired estate agent described the sensation as a ‘pinprick’, yet said he felt little of the bite immediately after it happened, assuming the spider was the harmless type.
However the following day he noticed some pain while walking.
‘When I got home, I was in considerable pain,’ he said. ‘My leg had ballooned. I thought it was going to explode.’
Within 48 hours the swelling had reached ‘the size of a watermelon’ and the pain was ‘unbearable’.
Glenn Priestley, 73, spent a fortnight in hospital and was unable to walk after being bitten
Mr Priestley visited his local GP who took blood tests which ultimately flagged telltale signs of infection.
They referred him to the Blackpool Victoria Hospital, where he was seen by doctors who conducted an MRI scan, CT scan and an X–ray.
Specialists concluded that he’d been bitten by a false widow in what Mr Priestley described as a ‘process of elimination’.
The attack comes amid warnings from experts that spider bites are becoming a public health problem in the UK.
NHS figures published earlier this year show there were 100 hospital admissions in 2025 linked to spider bites – up from 47 in 2015.
One cause, scientists say, is a particular non–native species, which has spread rapidly and is now found across the country – hiding in shoes, bundles of clothes or even seeking out the warmth of people’s beds.
With its venomous fangs, the false widow – the size of a £2 coin – can deliver a painful bite, which injects neurotoxins into the bloodstream.
This can cause a short–lived condition called steatodism – with intense pain radiating from the bite, swelling, redness, fever and nausea.
It has also been suggested – although not all scientists agree – that a false widow bite, like the sting of a bee or wasp, can cause anaphylactic shock, a severe and potentially fatal allergic reaction.
Some experts have warned that spider bites can also trigger sepsis, a life–threatening response to infection that can cause a dangerous drop in blood pressure, tissue damage and organ failure.
Mr Priestley described the nine days following the spider bite as ‘the most painful thing I’ve ever experienced’.
‘I wanted to scream but I had to hold back,’ he said. ‘I couldn’t put my foot down to the floor as if I lowered it all the blood rushed through the wound, and that was extremely painful.’
After 18 days of monitoring, Mr Priestley was discharged from hospital on October 6th.
He currently has to walk with a Zimmer frame as his foot and leg are still swollen and are bandaged.
Recalling the episode, Mr Priestley issued a warning to the public at this time of year – when the dangerous spiders are most prevalent.
Steatoda nobilis, the noble false widow – is capable of delivering a ‘medically significant’ injury
‘If you think you have been bitten by a spider and are showing signs of infection, get yourself to the doctors as soon as possible.’
Since the spiders can enter properties through any tiny gap, there isn’t much that can be done to keep them out.
The only precaution for anyone worried about being bitten is to routinely shake out clothing, footwear and bedsheets.
Exactly how dangerous these spiders are – and how likely they are to bite humans – is hotly debated by scientists.
But despite data suggesting an increase in hospital admissions, plus more frequent reports of severe reactions, the good news is that spider bites in the UK remain relatively rare.
No one has died from a false widow bite in the UK and experts say they are not aggressive towards humans.
