Tick bites: Warning as 'vampire bugs' that can pass on dreaded Lyme disease hit UK beaches and countryside - list of symptoms

Dorset residents in particular have been warned to take extra precautions when outdoors this summer due to blood-sucking ticks. Many of the critters are infected and pass on the dreaded Lyme disease which can leave victims unable to move or speak.

Most people can be treated with a full course of antibiotics, but if left untreated, Lyme disease can spread to the nervous system, which can lead to paralysis and blindness. Supermodel Bella Hadid, 27, suffered an excruciating 15-year battle with the disease, which she often shared moments of on her social media.

The bugs can also carry a fatal brain swelling disease called tick-borne encephalitis, a brain-swelling condition which can cause meningitis. Ecologist Nathan Orr, from Mendips Hill National Landscapes, told The Sun: "The warmer and wetter weather this winter hasn't caused a die-out of populations you would normally see when it's a much colder winter." He said wearing long trousers on walks and checking for tick bites are the best ways to prevent the disease.

Public Health Dorset wrote in a post on its website saying: "It's tick season, so whilst you're out enjoying our wonderful Dorset countryside and seaside, take care to avoid tick bites. Contact your GP if you notice a clear bullseye rash, or feel unwell with flu-like symptoms”.

Studies in Europe have shown that tick-borne diseases, including the encephalitis virus which can cause brain inflammation, have become more prevalent. Tick-borne encephalitis across Europe has risen fivefold in the past 30 years.

Public Health England's (now called the UK Health Security Agency) tick surveillance scheme in 2021 found that two of the most common species of ticks had spread into southern England. Their expansion has also been linked to rising numbers of deer, which act as hosts for them.

If you are bitten by an infected tick, symptoms should appear one to four weeks afterwards. But they can come on anywhere between three to 30 days after being bitten.

Symptoms include a spreading circular red rash, which might look like a bullseye and flu-like symptoms. Other signs to look out for include muscle or nerve pains or a drooping facial appearance when the nerves to the muscles around the upper part of the face are affected.