GIANT spider webs were spotted in a field in Dorset.

Sue Wingett was walking her dog in Abbotsbury when she captured the spider webs on her camera.

She noticed the big thick webs in the grass by a stream.

Initially believing they were spider webs, she was told by a friend that they were made by moth caterpillars.

However, a spokesperson for the Dorset Wildlife Trust confirmed the webs were indeed made by money spiders, one of Dorset's most common spider species.

She said: "The pics were just taken on the daily dog walk.

"I always have my camera and long lens with me and often take a shot in the vicinity of the little stream in case there is a heron or egret down there.

"I realised the grass area looked different and then could see the big thick webs.

"Further on the walk, there was another big web in a field.

"I thought they must be made by spiders but a friend showed me an article on them, and told me they may have been made by moth caterpillars.

"I'm really amazed that the webs are in fact made by money spiders rather than the caterpillars I was led to believe."

A conservation officer for Dorset Wildlife Trust said: "They are spider webs – money spiders make a characteristic horizontal sheet web among vegetation and can be really abundant.

"They can really stand out in dewy or foggy weather."

Money spiders are easily identified from their small bodies (5mm or less, although their legs can be quite long) and their habit of hanging upside down under a sheet web.

More than 40 per cent of Britain's spiders belong to this family, and they're not all the shiny black ones you might be thinking of.

Their webs are very often seen in shrubs or bushes, but they will also take up residence in the corners of houses, in September you can see the males doing their mating dance for the females.

The spiders are totally harmless and traditionally believed to bring good luck.