Poisonous spiders force 4 school closures

DANGER False widow spider THOUSANDS of children were told to stay at home yesterday after four schools were invaded by Britain’s most poisonous spiders.

The local council has evacuated two primaries and two secondary schools to treat the false widow spiders “immediately, before the eggs start hatching”.

The arachnids are dark-coloured with globular bodies and range from 9.5 to 14mm in size. Their painful but rarely deadly bite could prove fatal if a vulnerable child was bitten in a sensitive location.

The East London schools affected are Lister Community, Star Primary, Ellen Wilkinson Primary and Rokeby Secondary. The spiders were found during by a Newham Council’s environmental team.

Star’s head teacher Lisle Von Buchenroder told parents: “Safety is always our number one priority.”