A writer admits she regrets wearing fishnets to visit her boyfriend, after almost needing to have her leg cut off thanks to a 'false widow spider bite' in his garden.

Bella Lamorte was visiting her partner in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, last month when she was bitten by an unknown insect while sitting outside.

The 39-year-old felt a throbbing sensation in her right ankle later that evening - but was horrified when she woke up 'barely able to walk' the following day.

Copywriter Bella, who lives in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, rushed to hospital where doctors confirmed the bite had become infected and she was battling sepsis.

(Image: KennedyNews/Belladonnaevelamorte)

Doctors told the terrified writer that she could lose her foot or even her leg if she hadn't sought medical intervention.

After an operation to remove the infected flesh, Bella was left with a gaping hole in her foot and is currently awaiting plastic surgery.

Medics could not confirm what creature had sunk its fangs into Bella but she believes it was the notorious false widow spider as her wound matched another lady who had been bitten by one.

Bella said: "I was in so much pain. I was told they needed to do surgery and cut out the dead flesh because some of it had gone septic.

"They told me I could've lost my foot or my leg. The doctor said it was definitely an insect bite but they weren't sure it was a spider. But I saw another case where a woman was bitten by a spider, and my wound was the exact same.

"I believe it was a false widow spider. They said I could've lost my life from this. My own sister had sepsis before she died and if it hadn't been for losing her, I don't think I would've been as tenacious with my own health.

“I just wanted to warn people about the dangers. I don't want anyone else to go through this. I easily could've lost my leg, I was terrified.

"I feel hyper vigilant around insects now, I'm terrified. I would tell everyone else to be aware of what's in their garden. I worry if this was a vulnerable person bitten."

When is spider mating season?

Spiders usually start to come out in early September, with their presence noticeable in homes until around mid-October. After this, they tend to be spotted indoors less often.

Female spiders are known to stay in one place for all of their lives, but males are always on the move.

During spider mating season, the males will go searching for females and often find them inside homes, which is why you may notice more of them over the next couple of months.

In the UK, there are more than 650 different species of spider and while all of them can bite, only 12 can cause harm to humans.

Money, cellar and lace web spiders will likely be seen more frequently over the coming weeks, as well as house spiders, which is one of the UK’s biggest spiders.

The males of this species can grow up to a terrifying 10cm across the leg span, although this is the top end of the scale, with their size depending on how much they have eaten.

After mating, the female will lay eggs and the male will usually die.