Man left 'almost screaming' and hospitalised for weeks after bite by UK spider

Man left 'almost screaming' and hospitalised for weeks after bite by UK spider The bite on his leg swelled 'to the size of a watermelon' A pensioner's leg ballooned to the size of a "watermelon" after he was bitten by Britain's most venomous spider. Glenn Priestley, 73, suffered 'unbearable pain' and was hospitalised for two weeks after being bitten by the noble false widow spider. Glenn first felt a pinprick in the back of his left leg while he was completing renovation work at a house belonging to his late mother, 96-year-old Betty. The retired estate agent said he thought nothing of it until the next day, when his leg swelled to 38 cm (15 inches). Glenn, from Blackpool, Lancashire, was sent to the hospital after visiting his GP, who later told him he was bitten by a false widow. He then spent 18 days recovering from the spider's bite. Glenn said: "It was incredibly frightening when I was told the news from the doctors. "A large portion of my leg blistered, bruised, and scabbed. It was not a pretty sight. I guess it is neat to say I have been bitten by a false widow, but I wouldn't make a habit of it." The venom attacked Glenn's leg, which left him wheelchair bound for almost a month. Glenn thinks he was bitten by the Noble false widow, which can grow up to 1.5 cm. The amateur actor was bitten on September 16 after he picked up a blanket from the floor while standing in the loft of his mum's house. Hours before the bite, Glenn said he noticed a medium-sized brown spider climbing up a wall in the loft but took no notice, thinking it was just a common house spider. Glenn said: "The next day I noticed some pain when walking but I continued with my plans and went to two veterans' events. But when I got home, I was in considerable pain, and my leg had ballooned. I thought it was going to explode." Two days after the bite on September 18, Glenn visited his local GP, who took his blood, which revealed his markers for infection were raised. They then ordered him straight to the Blackpool Victoria Hospital, where he was seen by doctors at the Medical Assessment Unit. Staff conducted an MRI scan, CT scan, a Doppler scan, and an X-ray to find out what was wrong. Glenn said that after the "process of elimination", doctors informed him they believe he was bitten by a false widow spider. He said: "The pain was unbearable at times. I'd rate it a nine out of ten. The most painful thing I've ever experienced. I wanted to scream but I had to hold back. "For the first nine days, I couldn't put my foot down to the floor as if I lowered it all the blood rushing through the wound was extremely painful." Glenn was discharged on October 6 after spending 18 days recovering from the bite. He currently has to walk with a Zimmer frame as his foot and leg are still swollen and are currently bandaged. He hopes he will be fit enough to perform in the festive play 'Sleighed to Death' with the St Bernadette’s Parish Players in November. Glenn said: "If you think you have been bitten by a spider and are showing signs of infection, get yourself to the doctors as soon as possible." The false widow is believed to have arrived in Britain in crates of fruit from the Canary Islands in the late 19th Century. No one has died from a false widow bite in the UK. Experts say they are not aggressive towards humans.