With the giant spider invasion impending, Vanessa Amaral-Rogers, from Buglife, says: “Autumn is the time of year when many of us get our houses invaded by rather large and – for some of us – rather scary eight-legged creatures.
“For the most part these are male house spiders and they are on the prowl and filled with intent.
“They are on the search for females and will explore every corner of your house looking for the lady spider of their dreams.”
People across the northwest have already started to report the giant creepy crawlies appearance, with Tik Tok, in particular, seeming to be swarming with the gruesome creatures.
Whilst male spiders normally tend to be reclusive, according to Steve McGrail, from Pro-Kill Environmental they tend to be driven out into the open by their desire to get their eight legs over.
He said: “The male spiders come out the woodwork during this time of year as it is breeding season and they are searching for female spiders.
“For the most part these are male house spiders and they are on the prowl and filled with intent.
“They are on the search for females and will explore every corner of your house looking for the lady spider of their dreams.”
With a leg span of up to 10cm, the male spiders are pretty ginormous.
Steve McGrail, from Pro-Kill Environmental, said that male spiders are normally reclusive, but tend to be driven out into the open by their desire to get their eight legs over.
He said: “The male spiders come out the woodwork during this time of year as it is breeding season and they are searching for female spiders.
“They are actually there in the home at other times of year but they are hidden away – under the floor, in the attic, in the basement. If you find them, it’s pretty much impossible to rid your house of them.
“They may disappear for a period of time, but other spiders will come in their place."
Whilst September's infestation has begun already for many, if you do come across a spider according to Steve is put them in a shed:
"The best thing to do if you find them is put them in a shed – it’s a case of out of sight, out of mind . If you put them outside they are likely to die.”
News
Leeds Bradford Airport set for complete ‘shutdown’ as 130 workers go on strike
Leeds Bradford Airport is set for a standstill as almost 130 workers are set to take industrial action over pay.
If you're planning on catching a flight from Leeds Bradford Airport, then you may want to double check the date.
The Unite members planning on going on strike are a mixture of air traffic control workers, customer experience staff, security staff and cleaners.
The workers involved in the dispute have recently come out of a four-year pay deal, with some of the departments having fallen behind other airports in equivalent roles.
Pay talks have been happening since December 2025, with the airport's formal offer not going far enough to address the lack of pay parity.
Strikes will take place from 03:00 Friday 16 October to 06:00 Sunday 18 October for hourly paid staff and from 06:00 Friday 16 October to 06:00 Sunday 18 October for air traffic control workers.
Strike will mean the entire airport will shut down.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: "Leeds Bradford Airport is very profitable and can more than afford to come back to the table with an offer that doesn't fall short of our members' expectations.
"Our hardworking members should not be paid less than those doing the same jobs at other airports. Workers taking action at Leeds Bradford Airport have Unite's full support in their fight for fairer pay."
Unite regional officer Neil Whitaker said: "We know people who have flights planned to and from Leeds Bradford Airport will be concerned to hear of industrial action, however our members have no choice but to strike.
"The airport is profitable, passenger numbers are growing and our members are a major part of its success. They deserve a fair pay rise, and management must come back to the table to deliver this."
Leeds pizza shop hailed ‘exceptional’ and ‘best in the UK’ by major reviewer
Clementine Hall
A Leeds pizza takeaway has received a glowing review from popular review duo.
Edges Pizza opened up their first permanent spot in Leeds back in June this year, after making a name for themselves slinging out pizzas at multiple pop-ups across the city.
Owners Grace and Edge from Harrogate opened Edges Pizza two years ago, taking inspiration from trips to New York over the years.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Their pizzas are a love letter to the class New York slice, think thin and crispy rather than chewy and floppy. But above all else, think absolutely delicious.
And now, they've caught the attention of a major review page, with Bite Twice Food Reviews (a page with almost 300k followers) paying Edges a visit.
The food review duo of Gerry del Guercio and Paul Delany popped up in Holbeck beneath the arches to get their hands on a pizza, and the outcome is brilliant.
In the video, Bite Twice said that the pizza is 'f**cking exceptional' and up there with 'one of the best pizzas in the UK'.
Before even taking a bite, they said: "On aesthetic, I don't think anywhere in the UK is doing pizza like this".
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Then after the first bite, they go on to say: "There are very few pizzas in the UK that create this, I’m a little bit blown away".
As Londoners themselves, they go on to say that Edges is 'easily hitting with the best that we’ve got down south'.
And if that's not high praise enough, they sign off the video saying: "Leeds has got an absolute gem. I give this a stamp so hard my foot went through the pizza. Edges. Don Level."
Georgina Pellant -
7th September 2021 
