Poisonous spider spotted in child's playhouse

The concerned father told The Irish Daily Star: "I knew once I saw the spider that I needed to get rid of it from the playhouse as you certainly wouldn't want one of your kids getting bitten."

Some experts have reported an increase in the number of sightings of the poisonous pests right across Ireland.

It is believed they could spread as far north as Derry because of recent mild winters.

Pest expert Clive Boase said: “We’ve had a warm year so we could be seeing a lot more than normal.”

The false widow spider is native to the Canary Islands and Madeira.

The spider gets its name as it bears a similar resemblance to the black widow.

There have been no deaths as a result of being bitten by a false widow spider in Ireland.

Whilst bites are uncommon they can lead to infection and in some cases, amputation.

The false widow spider is approximatley the same size as a ten pence piece.