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Ammon News - A former personal trainer nearly had his arm amputated after a spider bit him in his house which was infested with hundreds of poisonous false widows.

Ivan Savage, 60, from Slough, Berkshire, said he feels lucky to be alive after a spider bite became infected.

While in hospital, pest control did a 'biohazard detox' of his home and reportedly found a nest of '500 false widows' secreted under a windowsill as well as false wolf spiders.

Mr Savage believes his house was the 'perfect breeding ground' for spiders as it is near a river.

The 60-year-old felt a pinprick on his right elbow before discovering what is believed to be a noble false widow had laid its fangs into his arm.

The arachnid crawled up Mr Savage's arm and took another bite into his hand before being swatted away.

Minutes later he began feeling severely unwell and dialled 999 before collapsing on his living room floor.

'I sat down on the chair and felt a pinprick on my elbow,' said Mr Savage, 'I looked at my arm and saw this thing just running up my arm.

'As I stood up, this large spider was on my arm with its legs fully extended. It was about the size of a penny piece.

'It scurried up my forearm to my hand and, while looking up at me, it stuck its fangs into me.

'I started feeling unwell. I was boiling hot but my bones felt like they were ice cold. I was seeing things in my peripheral vision.

'I quite rapidly deteriorated. I called the paramedics who told me to unlock the door in case I passed out. Before I knew it the first responders were round and next thing I knew I woke up in hospital.'

Mr Savage was admitted to the intensive care unit at Wexham Park Hospital in Slough where he remained unconscious for three days.

In hospital, he developed sepsis and doctors considered amputating his arm as the poison began spreading through his body.

Luckily, his arm remained intact following an operation to remove the dead flesh from his hand.

Daily Mail