Spiders in the spotlight on new Royal Mail stamps

The diminutive, eight-legged creatures are featured in a new set of products.

The four-spotted Orbweb Spider on a stamp (Royal Mail/PA) (PA Media)

Royal Mail has revealed images of a set of 10 new stamps featuring original illustrations of spiders found in the UK.

Previously butterflies, bees and bugs have been illustrated on stamps.

Featured on the new stamps are the: Sand Bear Spider; Cucumber Spider; Woodland Jumping Spider; Four-spotted Orbweb Spider; Spider Nurseryweb Spider; Ladybird Spider; Candy-striped Spider; Wasp Spider; Zebra Spider; and Heather Crab Spider.

David Gold, Royal Mail’s director of external affairs and policy said: “Many people are scared of spiders, but these colourful creatures deserve a second look.

“They perform a vital role in nature and have fascinating strategies for survival.

“As these stamps show, there’s far more to spiders than the hairy cartoon version we love to hate.”

The stamps and a range of collectible products are available to pre-order from today.