PICTURES: Can you spot the real false widow spider?

Sightings of false widow spiders have now been reported all over south west London with people finding the venomous creatures in their homes and gardens.

Since the we broke the news of an outbreak of Britain's most venomous spider at a nursery in Sutton, we have been inundated with people sending in their pictures of the arachnids.

The outbreak is not confined to Sutton, with people in Croydon, Merton, Kingston, Epsom and further afield finding the creatures.

The false widows is capable of bites that can cause painful swelling and have even been known to make people black out.

Here are some of the pictures people have sent in of the spiders they have found in their homes and gardens. Many are false widows but some are not. Can you tell the difference?

Wandsworth Times:

Jo Barnard found this creature in her dad's shed in Carshalton. Although it looks very similar to a black widow spider, spider expert Greg Hitchcock of the Kent Wildlife trust confirmed it is, in fact, steatoda grossa - a species of false widow.

False widows, which are related to deadly black widows and are named because of their similar appearance, can vary in shape, size and colouration but are usually distinctive via a bulbous, black body with shiny flesh and a skull-like pattern on the back.

Wandsworth Times: