THIS creepy looking creature could leave you with a nasty bite if provoked.

The distinctive false widow spider gave people a shock when it was spotted outside a house this week.

However experts say there is no need to be alarmed if you spot one, as they will only bite if mishandled or provoked.

Argus editor Arron Hendy was visiting a friend’s house near Peacehaven when he spotted the distinctive-looking spider and took a picture.

He said: “I’ve seen them in my house before but this was the biggest one I’ve come across.

“The big ball on its back was bigger than a garden pea.

“I don’t know if that’s where they store their venom or their web.

“I don’t normally mind spiders but this one looked huge and I was not going to touch it.

“After I took its picture it scurried off into a crack in the wall, much to our relief.”

The spiders are usually found outside of houses, in garages or sheds.

Dark places are preferred by them and they usually retreat into a deep crevice or crack when disturbed.

Angela Hale, a spider expert working at Drusillas Park in Alfriston, confirmed the spider was was one of the false widow species in the UK.

She said: “It looks like Steatoda nobilis because of the white band around the front of the body.

You will mostly see them during the hours of darkness.

“Some think they have a reputation for biting people, although in truth, this is quite a rare occurrence.

“You would need to be very unlucky, or go out of your way to be bitten.

“They only bite in self-defence, as with any creature.

“People who have experienced the bite say it’s similar to a bee sting.

“The spider would much rather run away from you than try to bite.

“At this time of the year they are pregnant and so quite fat and visible.

“They have been in this country for about 150 years now.

“However because people have access to the internet and wildlife documentaries, they mis-identify them as the black widow because of their similar shape.

“The black widow however, has a distinct red hour glass shape on the underside of the abdomen.

Mrs Hale said there was a simple method of dealing with the spiders who come into a house and residents do not want them to stay.

She said: “Simply collect them up - you will have to be quick - in a container and put them outside or in an outbuilding where they will happily make a new home for themselves.

“There is no need to be afraid of them at all any more than a house spider.

“We try to show the false widow to members of the public at our Creepy Crawlies Weekend at Drusillas.

“People are always shocked at their small size.”

Steatoda nobilis has a brown bulbous abdomen with cream coloured markings which are are often likened to the shape of a skull.

The legs are reddish-orange and females range in size from about 9.5mm to 14 mm.

Males are generally from about 7mm to 11mm.

It originated in Madeira and the Canary Islands.