ATTEMPTS to tackle an infestation of Britain's most poisonous spiders at a block of flats have failed.

Pest controllers were called in to deal with an outbreak of 'False Widow' spiders at the council-owned building in Upper Walthamstow Road last Tuesday, after worried residents spotted the venemous creatures in their homes.

Most flats in the block were fumigated with insecticide, but the tiny spiders - which can hospitalise an adult human with their stings - were spotted again on Friday morning, raising fears over the safety of very young children and elderly residents.

A homeowner, who did not want to be named, told the Guardian that some residents had refused to allow pest controllers into their flats.

He said: "I spotted one of the little black spiders in my bathroom on Friday and I just quickly washed it down the sink.

"I'd never noticed one of them in my house before.

"To be honest I'm not surprised the fumigation didn't work. It's only going to work if everyone gets it done.

"I don't see the point of fumigating a few flats and then leaving others, the spiders are obviously capable of moving around."

False Widows - Latin name steatoda nobilis - are very similar in appearance to the feared black widow and are capable of hospitalising adults with their stings.

The spiders are the UK's most poisonous variety, and are thought to have first landed in the country on a ship from the Canary Islands 200 years ago.

Experts believe the increase in their population is a result of global warming.

Waltham Forest Council has yet to comment on the latest sightings.