A venomous spider described as 'the most dangerous breeding in Britain' is spreading across London, including into the gardens of Buckingham Palace, as hospital admissions from spider bites have doubled in England.
NHS figures show there were 43 hospital admissions due to spider bites in 2021, rising to 95 the following year and reaching 100 in 2025. Academics have linked the increase to the noble false widow spider, a species originating from Madeira and the Canary Islands that was first reported in southern England in 1879 but is now spreading rapidly amid warmer summers.
Oxford University ecologist Clive Hambler said the species is 'much more willing to bite than many people are willing to admit' and that its venom can cause pain and itching, while bacteria carried by the spider can lead to 'amputation, sepsis and death'. He added that people are coming into contact with false widows more often than they realise, having seen them in the gardens of Buckingham Palace.
Local authorities in London are warning residents about the risks. Redbridge council notes that false widow spiders are venomous and their bites can be painful, but are no more dangerous than a wasp sting and are non-aggressive. In 2018, nine schools in Newham, east London, were closed due to infestations of the spider.
Dr Michel Dugon, a zoologist at the University of Galway, said the rise in admissions is 'not surprising' given the 'explosion in the population of noble false widow'. However, he noted that increased media coverage may have led some people to attribute bites to the species when the cause was something else.
