The 43-year-old's hand, arm, leg and even foot ballooned as the venom took hold and he was rushed to hospital.

Brian Smith suffered a severe reaction to a false widow bite that has led him to warn others about British spiders ...

I was quite shocked a spider in the UK could cause this sort of damage ... Noble false widows are the largest of the three false widow species likely to be found near homes.

Brian Smith, 43, from Maidstone, Kent, is warning others about venomous insects in the UK after his ... "I don't know any other spider in this country aside from a false widow that can cause ...

It does not necessarily reflect the view of The Herald. A dad issued a warning over spiders in the UK - after a false widow bite left him arthritic when his limbs ballooned. Brian Smith had woken ...

False widow spiders, so-called because of their similarity to the more venomous black widow spider, are the main culprits of UK bites and typically give bites that cause pain, redness, and swelling.

Horrifying photos show how his hand, arm, leg and even foot ballooned up as the venom ran rampant through his body.