What's going on in the UK? Lots of hysteria about false widow spiders!
I've seen Facebook updates and news stories about it.

I've only been in Aus for 4 months and have already had 3 white tails, one red back and a Huntsman in the house with no drama.
The false widows aren't poisonous apparently.

I thought false widows were poisonous just not deadly usually?

And a friend posted on facebook today with pics of three by his patio doors

Were they merry?

Blame it on climate change.

And what's false about them?

Next they'll be reporting false sharks

Yhey look a bit like Black Widow spiders, but they aren't. The hysteria stems from a sensationalist article in the DM, about one man who had a very bad reaction to a bite and had to have a major operation. They've been here in the UK for over 100 years, but suddenly people are getting paranoid, to the extent of closing a school for fumigation after a couple were seen there.

Just a media beat up, the average person isnt bothered about them.

The average person didn't know they existed until the DM went dolally over them, now people are seeing them everywhere, and having hysterical attacks.

Unfortunately yes a few are.

I'm not sure how many people realised this spider existed before the hype - but from the photos I've seen it does seem to have interesting markings

Problem is that there are other, totally safe, that have similar markings, in fact at the school that was closed the BBC camera man focused on a spider that has built a web on the school gate, not a false widow, but has markings similar, and that people could, in the current climate, have mistaken it.

I can't recall seeing anything like it - never realised there was more than one type with the markings either. Spiders don't bother me much although we haven't seen too many here yet - My mum though has arachnophobia, she can't even look at a picture

How many times, in the UK, did you study the markings on any spider?.. Don't think I've ever done it.

Very true - still don't think I ever saw one though if the markings are as clear as the photos I've seen.

I must be a bit odd, in the uk i used to study the markings on pretty much every spider I saw, for the most part they resembled the tread on a converse allstar