PEOPLE living in a housing block which is infested with poisonous spiders fear they will never get rid of the pests after several unsuccessful fumigations.

'False Widows,' which can hospitalise an adult human with their stings, have reappeared in several flats and maisonettes on the estate in Upper Walthamstow Road since the council first tried to tackle the outbreak two weeks ago.

Residents are concerned that pest controllers - who returned to the block to fumigate yet another flat on the weekend - are losing their battle against the creatures, which are often mistaken for deadly Black Widows.

The unnamed resident who first alerted the council to the problem - after finding a nest of the spiders outside his front door - said he has seen several more in his flat since it was fumigated.

False Widows - Latin name steatoda nobilis - are thought to have first landed in the country on a ship from the Canary Islands 200 years ago.

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

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