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A family has been forced out of their country club home after 6,000 venomous spiders moved in.

Fumigators are now pumping poisonous gas into the house in the upscale neighbourhood of Weldon Spring, Missouri in an attempt to kill the brown recluse spiders, which have been there for at least seven years.

The 2,400-square-foot, four-bedroom property, which has prime views across the Whitmoor Country Club, never sold.

Despite their modest size, brown recluse spiders can give a nasty bite because of their toxic venom.

As well as skin irritation, it can cause symptoms like vomiting, rashes, muscle pain and even death in very young children or those with a weak immune system.

Brown recluse spiders are found in all continents except Antarctica but fortunately bites are rare and tend to only happen if the spiders become trapped in your clothing.

Spider expert Jamal Sandidge of the University of Kansas said: “It’s not going to kill you, but it will make you wish you were dead."

The insects were in the blinds, the ceiling, the fireplace and any dark corner they could find to hide in.

It even got to the stage where their skeletons were falling from the lights and were often found in the family shower, local newspaper the St Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

McCarthy Pest Control believes they can finally take care of the problem - but at a cost of around $14,000 (£8,700).

Insect exterminator expert Tim McCarthy said: “Many times people bring them in, you can move from a house that has them.

"You buy things at an auction, you have furniture in storage, many times brown recluse spiders are carried right into the house.”

Staff covered the house with a huge tent before filling it with toxic gas in an attempt to wipe out the pests.

When couple, Brian and Susan Trost, bought the home back in 2008 they had no idea about the infestation.

After they moved out of the home and launched multiple lawsuits against the former owners and insurance companies, the home went into foreclosure.

Check out a selection of your scariest spider pictures taken in the UK in our gallery below.