A mum-of-two who was bitten by a false widow spider in 2010 said she has been plagued by the mini-beasts ever since.
It comes after several sightings by local Guardian readers since the first report at a nursery yesterday.
Lena Axelson, 27, from Tull Street near Hackbridge, was bitten twice by one of the spiders causing her arm to swell up and look like she had suffered severe burns.
A false widow in living in Mrs Axelson's front porch
Since then her home has been inundated with the creepy-crawlies which she has reported to Sutton Council.
Mrs Axelson said: “I felt the stinging as I put my dressing gown on in the morning.
“I chucked it off and this spider ran out. It had really red legs and a big bubble back with the stripes.
“I thought ‘oh my god it’s bitten me’. The bite was like a bee sting – it bit me on the crevasse of my elbow.
“My arm was aching – it was really hot like I had just got a flu jab. Within 20 minutes my arm was red and there were patches everywhere.
“By the next day my skin had started peeling like skin burn and that day I went to the doctors. It went yellow in the end."
But it was in June this year the family really started to notice the prevalence of the large spiders around their home.
Mrs Axelson called the council who informed her about the false widow.
She added: “At night this place is alive with them – they are everywhere. They are on my garden fence, in my bathroom and in my bedroom – I’m freaking out.
“My son has got an illness and is being treated at Great Ormond Street for his low immune system – I was worried about him getting bitten.
“They can be huge and vicious. They are very aggressive as well. I’m frightened to put my bins out now.”
Mrs Axelson and her five-month-old daughter Lola-Rose
To add to Mrs Axelson’s fear her sister’s partner, who lives in Tooting, was bitten by one while he was asleep last week.
Mrs Axelson has tried using insect spray, the recommended method of dealing with them, but it has not stopped them from multiplying.
Have you been bitten by the false widow in the Sutton area? Email mike.pyle@london.newsquest.co.uk.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel