More than 1,500 children have been sent home after the discovery of false widow spiders.

Duston School, in Northampton closed its doors today following the suspected infestation.

Headteacher Sam Strickland confirmed that the closure of the school which teaches both primary and secondary-aged pupils.

He said that they would not be able to return to the school grounds until the spiders have gone, with a return to online teaching.

It is the second school in Northamptonshire to close because of false widows in two weeks following the temporary closure of Malcolm Arnold Academy.

Duston’s principal said: ‘We are regrettably having to close both phases of the school to all pupils and staff tomorrow (Wednesday) to allow the situation to be assessed and for the school to be cleaned.

‘A decision regarding the re-opening of the school will be made following an update tomorrow and this will be communicated to you accordingly.

‘I cannot apologise enough for the inconvenience that this may cause you, especially in terms of organising child care arrangements.

‘Work will be set for all of our pupils to complete at home via Microsoft Teams. I will update you as soon as I have any further news.’

False widows are sometimes confused for black widow spiders and are mistakenly thought to be as dangerous because both have a similar dark-coloured, globular body.

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