Victim Chris Galton with one-year-old ImogenA father out shopping for toys with his daughter has told how he was bitten ten times by the UK’s most dangerous spider.Chris Galton, 31, collapsed after the false widow spider - closely related to the black widow - repeatedly bit into his back and neck at the Toys R Us store in Hampshire on Saturday afternoon.
The exotic creature is believed to have nestled in his hooded top after dropping from a bush near his home in Southampton.
It wasn’t until hours later when he was shopping in the toy store with his wife, Zoe, and his one-year-old daughter, Imogen, that the poison started to take effect.
Suddenly feeling unwell, Mr Galton collapsed to the floor.
He was rushed to hospital where doctors discovered the ten 50-pence-sized marks on his body.
The father-of-one was given painkillers and was released the same day.
Speaking about the horrifying ordeal, Mr Galton said: “The bite was like a really sharp pin-prick and very painful. The next thing I knew I was feeling hot, queasy and light-headed and collapsed.
“I had been stung earlier but assumed it was a bee and took some anti-histamine pills. I didn’t think any more of it until I was shopping for my daughter’s first birthday and felt more stings.”A store worker said: "It was a very scary big spider. I’ve never see one like it before.”
The eight-legged attacker, which is closely-related to the black widow and originates from the Canary Islands, was eventually caught in the store and sent for formal identification.
Mr Galton added: “I’m just thankful it never jumped out and got on to my daughter.”
417 comments