Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
National
Adam Gillham & Lucy Skoulding

Man bitten by hundreds of spiders forced to sleep in tent to escape infestation

A tenant who has been bitten hundreds of times by spiders infesting in his home has had to sleep in a tent to get away from them.

Russell Davies, 55, says housing association officers have refused to fumigate the flat.

He said: "I'm in pain. It feels like when I shiver that I've got shards of glass in every part of my body where I've been bitten.

"I've been sleeping in a tent for roughly a week and a half.

"In the daytime I'm walking around looking for things. My mind is constantly on edge because I'm looking for a web, spiders. I don't want to live like this."

Russell said he's constantly on edge as he's looking for spiders (Russell Davies)

The spider is said to have a bite on a par with a wasp's sting, and some people can have adverse reactions to the venom.

Mr Davies moved into the flat in Southborough, near Tunbridge Wells in Kent in 2020.

He first noticed sores on his body within a week but only raised the issue with Clarion nine months ago when the spiders were discovered as the cause.

Mr Davies thought the spider bites were lesions at first and eventually found spiders in his home 15 months later.

He told BBC South East: "I was what you would call an all-you-can-eat banquet for these spiders, while I was asleep.

The ordeal has left him struggling with his sleep and mental health.

He said the ordeal has left him struggling with his sleep and mental health (Russell Davies)

"This is the frightening part for me, I don't sleep very well at the moment because it's got into my mind so badly because I was bitten while I was asleep. Clarion have, three days ago, flatly refused to come and fumigate the property that I live in. "

He said Clarion did arrange to fumigate the hallways and landings in communal areas after he raised concerns, but have repeatedly refused to specifically fumigate his home or pay for more intense heat treatment.

A Clarion spokesperson said: "We appreciate how unpleasant and inconvenient pests can be and we are sorry to hear that Mr Davies is suffering with this at present. He has been correctly advised that under the terms of his tenancy agreement, it is his responsibility to deal with this pest infestation.

"Clarion's pest control specialists are contracted to deal with issues in communal spaces, but we asked them to review Mr Davies' situation and they have provided him with some practical advice on how he can resolve it."

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.