A dad has died after being bitten by a spider he had bought online just weeks before, his family has said.
Mark Anthony Kirby, from Preston in Merseyside, was said to have developed flu-like symptoms after being hurt by the pet.
The dad-of-two's former partner of 16 years, Kayleigh Gill, explained he had bought five spiders just weeks earlier, which she said he had become obsessed with.
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Just days after being bitten by the spider, Mr Kirby and Ms Gill, along with her sister, Kath, travelled to Scotland for a night away.
Whilst on the trip however, he complained of feeling ill.
On August 2, Mr Kirby said he was unable to breath properly and collapsed at his home. He was unable to be saved by paramedics.
"He was funny, caring, outgoing and such a people person, Ms Gill told the Liverpool Echo.
"He was a brilliant dad to our two children and was always the life and soul of the party."
While the cause of his death is yet to be confirmed, his ex-partner believes the spider bite is to blame.
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Mark Anthony Kirby collapsed at home and died on August 2
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Speaking to the Echo, she said: "He told me about the bite and I said he needed to go to hospital but he didn't.
"People shouldn't be able to buy these spiders online, people should need licences to own them."
It is not clear what species of spider Mr Kirby owned.
Mr Kirby is said to have developed flu-like symptoms after being bit his pet spider (file photo)
|GETTY
In another incident, a man from Hertfordshire was left struggling to walk after being bitten by what is believed to be Britain's most venomous spider.
Keith Robinson developed a large, angry inflammation on his leg shortly after clearing cobwebs at his home in Watford.
The bite, which the 65-year-old believes came from a false widow spider, led to a severe infection that has left him in "unbearable" pain and unable to walk far distances.
Initially, Mr Robinson attempted to treat the bite himself using painkillers and Savlon, but his condition deteriorated rapidly.
Despite receiving medical treatment, Mr Robinson said: "I can work but I am not able to walk very far without intense pain in that leg for quite a while."
The false widow spider, known scientifically as Steatoda nobilis, is not native to Britain. Experts believe they arrived from the Canary Islands in banana boxes in the late 1800s before gradually spreading northwards across the country.