Published: 10:03 BST, 20 August 2026 | Updated: 10:05 BST, 20 August 2026<\/p>\n
A woman in Kent was left with a 'crater' in her leg after multiple bites from a false widow spider.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Danni Virgo's ordeal began back in 2020 when she brought her clothes in from the washing line and decided to put on her freshly\u2013laundered pyjamas.<\/p>\n
Within seconds, the 45\u2013year\u2013old felt a sharp pinch on her right thigh before seeing a small spider crawl out the bottom of her pyjama bottoms.<\/p>\n
The mum\u2013of\u2013one noticed a small red lump appear on her leg, and immediately grew concerned when the mark turned black the following day.<\/p>\n
The 10p\u2013sized bite left a crater in Ms Virgo's skin that doctors confirmed was caused by the venom of a false widow \u2013 the UK's most dangerous spider.<\/p>\n
Luckily, Ms Virgo's wound healed without surgical intervention, but just weeks later the mum was bitten twice more by a false widow, only to discover her garden is 'infested' with the arachnids.<\/p>\n
She tried to battle the beasties using peppermint spray on the fence along with natural oils and anti\u2013spider sprays but nothing worked and the spiders won.<\/p>\n
Horrified, Ms Virgo now refuses to go into her own garden or hang her washing outside \u2013 six years on from her terrifying ordeal.<\/p>\n
A woman in Kent was left with a 'crater' in her leg after multiple bites from a false widow spider<\/p>\n
Danni Virgo's ordeal began back in 2020 when she brought her clothes in from the washing line and decided to put on her freshly\u2013laundered pyjamas<\/p>\n
NHS figures reveal that there were 100 hospital admissions in 2025 linked to spider bites \u2013 up from 47 in 2015.<\/p>\n
This sharp rise is being attributed to the growing numbers of the noble false widow spider in the country.<\/p>\n
Ms Virgo \u2013 who still has a scar from the incident \u2013 is now warning others to steer clear of the venomous creepy\u2013crawlies, especially in light of rising spider\u2013related hospitalisations in the UK.<\/p>\n
Ms Virgo, from New Romney, Kent, said: 'We have a washing line in my garden and they like to hide in the pegs.<\/p>\n