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Creepy crawly invades home
A mum of two got a fright when she discovered this creepy crawly lurking in her bathroom.
At first 50-year-old Naomi Morant, of Oak Street in Bennetts End, Hemel Hempstead believed the menacing looking beast with fangs was poisonous.
Daughter Lily, aged 11, was also horrified so they took a photo of the spider and sent it to a museum in London.
They were relieved to discover it is a common woodlouse spider that feeds on woodlice and beetles rather than people. The bugs use their powerful fangs to pierce the protective armour of their prey.
However, this also means they could bite humans if unwisely handled. But biodiversity expert at the Natural History Museum Stuart Hine said: "Their venom has little effect on most people and there has been few reports of these spiders causing any concern - most symptoms in fact can be attributable simply to the shock of having been bitten."
He added: "This is a common and widespread species throughout the UK living under debris and clutter around garden - they occasionally venture into our homes but are not equipped to survive more than a few days in dry centrally heated homes."
The Morant family captured the home invader with a spider catcher and released it into the garden.
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Weather for Hemel Hempstead
Saturday 04 February 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: -1 C to 1 C
Wind Speed: 16 mph
Wind direction: South
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: -1 C to 3 C
Wind Speed: 7 mph
Wind direction: West
