HUGE mosquitoes that are twice the size of normal insects and bite through clothing have invaded the South Coast.

The bloodthirsty insects have a wing-span of almost one inch and a vicious bite, leaving behind nasty wounds which can take days to heal. One woman says her bite has swollen to the size of a tea plate.

Meanwhile, health chiefs have announced that they are to start monitoring Blandford fly bites in East Dorset again to find out if the eradication programme is working.

They also warn that more people are reporting tick bites, which can lead to the potentially dangerous Lyme disease.

Local pharmacies say their supplies of bite cream are running out because people are desperate to ease the pain from insect bites.

A spokesperson for Boots in Boscombe, Bournemouth, said: "We did sell out at one point and we have had people coming in for help with all sorts of bites.

"One of my colleagues has been bitten on her arm and it looks like she has been burnt."

Gill Rouse, of Talbot Woods, Bournemouth, said: "I have been bitten on my elbow and the swelling is the size of a tea plate. It spreads half way down towards my wrist and half-way to my shoulder. It doesn't itch but is actually very painful."

The giant mosquitoes, which have black and white striped legs, have multiplied in droves in the perfect breeding conditions provided by Britain's recent weather.

Ian Burgess, of Cambridge-based Insect Research and Development Ltd, said: "If it does have a go at you, you will know it.

"It can bite even through clothing. It will stop at denim but it will go through thinner fabrics - so shirts or thin trousers are no protection. That's why it's such an unpleasant brute.

"It makes a fairly pronounced buzzing sound and likes to come indoors, which is why it has became more noticeable. It will get you while you're sleeping."

GPs in East Dorset are to be asked to report suspected cases of Blandford fly bites again next year.

A weed-spraying programme on the River Stour started in 1989 to kill off the larvae of the flies, which can cause painful bites and secondary infections.

Before then, an estimated 15,000 people in Dorset were bitten each year by the tiny blackflies, which normally attack deer.

Dr Sue Bennett, consultant at the Dorset Health Protection Agency, said: "The treatment programme is continuing in the higher reaches of the Stour but not in the Bournemouth area. That's one reason we would like to start surveillance again, to see how much of a problem it still is."

Daily Echo feature writer Mel Warman was diagnosed as having fallen victim to Blandford fly by her GP and signed off work for a week after being bitten four times in a Poole garden this week.

But Dr Bennett said Blandford fly was only around in May and June, with possibly a few stragglers in early July. She said other types of blackfly were also capable of delivering painful bites.

First published: August 20