A SINGLE mother has discovered an infestation of a type of venomous, biting spider on the roof of her shed.

And the creatures, false widow spiders, have been found in her house.

Lindsay Hallam, of Marshallsay Road, Chickerell, has tried everything to rid her home of the arachnids, which have been known to bite.

She said: “At first I was just scooping them up and putting them back outside, but then we lifted the roof cover off and saw how many of them there are. There are too many to count. It is an infestation.”

Miss Hallam, a carer, eventually resorted to pouring boiling water on the spiders, only to find it did not kill them.

She said: “It’s a bit worrying. I’ve told Magna Housing Association but they don’t seem interested in helping.

“They gave me the number for pest control, who advised me to put a barrier down, but it will just wash away in the rain.

“I can’t afford to pay a private pest control company, so I’m out of options.”

Jez Morris, Magna Housing Association’s head of housing services, said: “We’re sorry to hear about the spiders in the shed.

“Pests and insects are the tenant’s responsibility to remove, which is made clear in our tenancy agreement.”

He added: “We advise residents to contact their local council’s environmental health department which can advise on eradication and the typical cost of removal.

“However, residents should contact us if they have problems, such as a wasps’ nest in the roof, which might affect the structure of their home.”

Miss Hallam captured one of the creatures and took it to environmental health, who identified it as a false widow.

The breed, so called because of its similarity to the deadly black widow spider, is venomous, but not harmful to humans.

In recent years, they have been spreading across the south and east of England.

Amanda Broom, a Dorset Wildlife Trust conservation officer, said: “In this country we have native false widows, but also one species that is not native.

“This one was introduced about a hundred years ago from the Canary Islands and has been established in Dorset for some time.

“It is the most venomous spider in Britain, but it is worth pointing out that no one has ever died from a spider bite in this country.” She added: “It is not naturally aggressive but it is possible someone might be bitten if they put their hand in the wrong place.

“As a piece of general advice, it is a good idea to beware of any spider that is shiny, and is black or dark brown.”

Miss Hallam said: “I’m not scared of them, although my son Lewis is not too keen. I’ve been told they are not dangerous, but that some people can suffer a reaction to their bite.

“They’re not nice to have in your house.”