‘Gigantic’ spider invades motorway in apocalyptic scenes – it’s not all it seems

An apparently monster-sized spider was spotted crawling across the M5 after a road traffic collision – but all was not as it seemed.

While scanning the area for the scene of the collision involving a campervan and a car, one camera had found it was the newest home to the arachnid.

Images showed police officers and Highways England staff at the scene cleaning up the accident, which brought the northbound carriageway to a standstill on Friday afternoon (June 11), reports DevonLive.

The collision happened at around 4.15pm and caused huge delays on the motorway, right back to Cheltenham with delays of up to one hour and 15 minutes.

All lanes had reopened by 5.15pm, but delays remained.

Of course, it wasn't a Shelob-sized spider that had crawled out of her lair from the pages of The Lord of The Rings which appeared on camera.

The attention-seeking arachnid had taken a stroll along the lens of the camera between junctions 7 for Worcester and 8 for Evesham.

This comes after the population of the false widow spider has experienced a massive increase in the UK in recent years.

A new study has found that spider bites from noble false widows can be so dangerous they require hospital treatment.

The insect, which is in the UK, has suddenly increased in numbers and massively increased its range.

Scientists have bickered for years over the threat posed by the spider.

But the new study, in the international medical journal Clinical Toxicology, proves victims have similar symptoms to the true black widow spider and severe cases need hospital care.

They might experience pain, intense swelling, traumas, nausea and even changes to blood pressure.

Although rare, sometimes a bite can lead to minor wounds or severe bacterial infections.

The eight-legged fiend first appeared in Britain more than 140 years ago but now has the potential to become one of the world’s most invasive spiders.

Nobody knows for sure why the species has expanded so much, but scientists suggested it could be a genetic mutation which makes it more adaptable to new environments.

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