Arachnophobes could be in for a nerve-jangling few weeks, as millions of spiders look to seek refuge in UK homes.

These particular spiders have a leg span of up to 12cm and female spiders can stay in your home for the whole of their seven year life span.

The suspect along with the spiders was handed over to the wildlife department for further legal proceeding.

Pasquet A, Anotaux M and Leborgne R (2011) Loss of legs: is it or not a handicap for an orb-weaving spider? Naturwis-senschaften 98, 557-564.

She said: "At the beginning of the week I was out the back garden when it was dark in the evening putting rubbish in the bin, and spotted a spider.

In fact, it was naturalist Charles Darwin who first encountered these flying spiders on his voyage across South America on the HMS Beagle.

The spider we can most tolerate, partly due to its tiny size and the superstitious idea it can give us good financial luck.

'Does whatever a spider can': that line's become synonymous with Spider-Man.

Specially trained staff at the Australian Reptile Park milk more than 150 spiders on a fortnightly basis to produce enough venom needed to make the spider bite antidote.

(3) Explain: Why do you think the spider looks the way it does?

With more than 170,000 glass vials containing spiders pickled in alcohol, yes, it is cramped in this room in the basement of the Burke Museum at the University of Washington.