A PLAGUE of tiny spiders threatened to bring Eastleigh's wheels of justice to a halt.

Pest controllers were called to the town's courthouse after an epidemic of spiders jeopardised the smooth running of the court.

The death sentence was passed on hundreds of the creatures - each no bigger than the head of a pin - after they were spotted crawling over paperwork and invading drinking water.

Council workmen were briefed to fumigate the building's two courts after the persistent pests returned following similar problems last year.

A spokesman said the creatures - less than 2mm in size - had been identified as clover mites and were usually to be found on plants and vegetation.

"Some people who see them crawling across their papers have become worried and assume they bite humans because they are the colour of blood. But it is not the case," he said.

"They are normally found on plants and are mainly a problem to gardeners at this time of year. We advised the court to cut back any plants growing outside the court."

Magistrate and former mayor Eastleigh Margaret Kyrle said: "They crawl over legal documents and when you try to brush them away they leave an awful red stain.

"They are a dammed nuisance when you are thinking and deliberating hard during a case."

Solicitor Jamie Gammon said: "They are part of the building and I am sure they will be here long after we've left the court.

"They haven't caused any major disruption to the course of justice - otherwise they would have been charged!"

Staff had battled to keep the mites away from important documents and resulted to covering up water jugs to make sure they remained bug free.

But while some found the spiders' presence irritating, others said they helped to relieve the occasional tedium of court life.

"If you find a spider and draw a circle around it with your pen it can't escape until the ink is dry. Even some of the solicitors have been spotted playing the game," said a court official who did not want to be named.

Converted for the new archive on 25 January 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.