An invasion of venomous spiders has closed a secondary school.
The infestation of the dangerous “false widow” spiders at the Dean Academy in Lydney, Gloucestershire, has forced senior staff to close the school.
The decision was made on advice from health and safety officers at Gloucestershire County Council and pest control experts drafted in from Chepstow.
The spiders were first discovered in the information computer technology block at the academy on Monday. The entire ICT block was closed to allow fumigation to take place.
As more spiders were discovered elsewhere in the school, there was no choice but to close the academy to allow further pest control to be carried out.
The false widow (Steatoda nobilis) is about the size of a 50p coin and is the most dangerous of the 12 species of biting spider known in Britain.
