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A grandfather has told how he fought for his life - and his leg - after being bitten by one of Britain's most venomous spiders, leaving him with horrific injuries. John Catlin feared he would have to have his foot amputated after he was bitten by a false widow spider, which are currently believed to be plaguing Britain.
The infection caused by the creature's bite was so bad his vital organs started 'shutting down' as it spread throughout his body.
Mr Catlin, 66, was bitten on the toe by the spider while making a bonfire at his home in Bromley, Kent, last year.
He said he had brushed aside the small bite at first but soon became desperately unwell.
He told the Star that he began to shiver and feel strange and so drove to the doctors.
But by the time he arrived he was so weak he could barely drive. His temperature had reached 104degrees and concerned medics quickly called for an ambulance.
At first doctors believed the father of two was suffering from food poisoning, but his condition soon deteriorated and he was finally diagnosed with cellulitis, a severe skin infection.
He said: 'Over the two weeks I stayed in hospital, I was all swollen up and my leg turned dark red with huge blisters.
'At one point my organs started shutting down and I had real problems with my kidneys.
'One night my heart was racing like a marathon runner and I needed injections from doctors.'
He said he 'wanted to die' and was later told he was close to losing his leg after developing a streptococcal infection in the bite, which spread around his body, and to his other leg.
He has spent the past year recovering from the ordeal but still struggles to walk.
Mr Catlin's ordeal has emerged as the number of reported sightings and bites from false widows has exploded in recent weeks.
Decorator Ricki Whitmore, 39, almost lost his leg when he suffered a horrific bite from Britain's most poisonous spider after disturbing a nest of false widows while working at a school.
Surgeons were forced to slice open his leg and flush out the venom after his thigh swelled to twice its normal size.
Mr Catlin, 66, (pictured here holding an image of his injury and a jar containing a spider) was bitten on the toe by the spider while making a bonfire at his home in Bromley, Kent, last year
And Steve Harris, a 22-year-old footballer from Devon also needed emergency surgery after a nasty bite from the spider.He said: 'When I woke up I had a pain in my side - a stinging feeling. I didn't take that much notice until it started swelling and the pain got worse.
'I was in agony. I have never had pain like that before in my life. It's still very painful now. I still can't sleep properly and find it virtually impossible to get in and out of a car.'
There are fears that with temperatures outside plummeting as the winter months approach, millions of the spiders could make their way into homes across the country to escape the cold.
Traditionally they were only found in the south of England, but there are nests being found in Wales and Scotland.
Experts believe that the spiders my be thriving in the UK because of a wet start to the summer followed by a heatwave.
Long-term climate change may also be to blame, leading spiders to set up home in new areas.
However, some experts say many sightings of false widows could in fact be the common house spider.
He was close to losing his leg after developing a streptococcal infection in the bite, which spread around his body
And today an entire school announced it will close for a day to deal with an outbreak of False Widows.
The Dean Academy, in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, will be shut while its buildings are fumigated after the creatures were found in its computer block as well as other areas.
A statement said the school 'had identified an issue with false widow spiders' in several buildings including ICT rooms.
Parents were sent a letter from vice principal Craig Burns saying the school would be shut on the advice of pest controllers.
Initially a decision was taken to close only the ICT block, but further discoveries of the spiders elsewhere led to a full school closure.
Mr Burns wrote: 'We have identified an issue with false widow spiders in the academy in our ICT block and therefore took immediate advice from pest control.
'We therefore made the decision to close the ICT block for the whole of today so that pest control could fumigate the area.
'Unfortunately, during this afternoon there have been further false widow spiders identified in other areas of the academy.
'We have taken advice from the Health and Safety unit at Gloucestershire Local Authority and C & D Pest Control, Chepstow and have taken the decision to close the academy all day on Wednesday 23rd October 2013.
'This will enable pest control to fumigate every area in the academy and ensure everyone's health and safety.'
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