'It was the size of a fist': Spider bite leaves Celtic fan with deadly infection in his arm

Bank worker Tony Folan, 35, had been rummaging in his garage in Dalkeith, Midlothian, when a giant spider leapt onto his arm and sunk its fangs into him.

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The father-of-one, who said the spider was the "size of a fist" and scurried away after biting him, considered the incident was "bizarre" but thought little of it until the following days when workmates saw red streaks travelling up his forearm.

After taking advice, he attended his GP at New Byres Medical Practice in Gorebridge who told him the health implications could have been serious.

"I got sent home from my work – I'm a retirement specialist at Scottish Widows. I was sweating profusely and shivering as the infection took hold.

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"When I got to the doctors they said that if I’d left it for two days it potentially could have turned into septicaemia and I could’ve been put on an IV drip,” he said.

There are over 650 different species of spiders in the UK – and all of them bite. However only 12 of these species have enough venom that can cause harm to a human.

Mr Folan was unable to trap the spider in his garage or identify the species.

He said: "It was so bizarre. I never expected to get bitten by a spider in Scotland, at this time of year as well. But it was big, it was massive, the size of my fist. I’ve seen them before the big ones with the wee skinny bodies but I wasn’t paying that much attention to it.

READ MORE: Venomous Huntsman spider crawls out of container in Dumbarton and terrifies workers

“It wasn’t like a black widow or anything like that but it was huge."

And he explained how he came to be bitten earlier this week.

"I was looking to get back into cycling and was in the garage getting my bike sorted out," he said.

"I’m not scared of spiders and I when noticed there was one quite near to the tyre pump I just went to sweep it away and as I went down it leapt onto my arm and took a bite.

"It wasn’t like Arachnophobia where it jumped about 12 ft. It was a good six inch leap onto my arm and I just flicked it off.

"I couldn’t get a hold of it so it is still running around the garage.

"I didn’t think anything of it and then at work somebody asked what was wrong with my arm.

READ MORE: Venomous Huntsman spider crawls out of container in Dumbarton and terrifies workers

“They said ‘you need to go to the doctor because it’s tracking’.”

He said: “My arm was all red and there was a big red line along it.

“So I went to the doctor and they put me on antibiotics and I’m still on them now.

“It has gone down ever-so-slightly now."

And he said: “My son was quite scared but I was able to turn it round to a positive and told him I might get 'spidey' powers like Spiderman.

“I had to get up against a wall in the house to show him, just to take away his worries, and slid down.

“But I must admit I did think to myself, 'you never know what could have happened'.”

Two years ago a venomous Huntsman spider stowed inside a shipping container sent from China to the Clyde.

Their bite is not regarded as dangerous to healthy humans, but it can have painful side effects, including sickness, heart palpitations and, in rare cases, neurological effects.

The giant hunting spider was found at a manufacturing business in Lomondgate, Dumbarton which regularly has parts for generators shipped to Scotland from overseas.

South of the border experts have warned conditions are ripe for the false widow spider, a cousin of the deadly black widow spider, to start entering homes in the winter months for warmth.

Originally from the Canary Islands, false widow bites cannot kill a human but the venom causes painful burns and swelling, and can lead to a fever.

On that occasion the Scottish SPCA went to the scene and removed the arachnid

Last year a newlywed was reported to be lucky to be alive after she was bitten by a venomous spider on her honeymoon in Jamaica.

Victoria Ross, from Bingley, West Yorks, was with new husband Brian when she was bitten on the right leg by a 1cm-long violin spider.

The account executive was left with an inflamed red-raw leg covered in pus-filled boils.