Alien invasion!

NON-NATIVE PESTS ARE INCREASINGLY WREAKING HAVOC

- MIKE LOCKLEY Sunday Mercury Writer

THE government calls them “invasive non-native alien animals”.

In layman terms they are creatures that should not be here, but have found their way here - either by deliberate release or being stowaways in cargo, even holidaymakers’ luggage.

And, while establishing themselves in this country, they have proved a thorough nuisance. Even those readers not particularly interested in the eco carnage they create, will wince at the billions it costs to tackle these pests.

It’s a war the government is not winning.

It’s not a new problem, although it has escalated in recent years. The brown rat got here on ships in the 1700s and thanked us by spreading the black death.

Grey squirrels were brought here from American in the 1800s to add interest to country estates.

We've played host to a large number of sinister and highly unusual species since then - most of them small and spiteful.

A scan of the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affair’s “invasive non-native alien” list reveals a largely unknown critter is vying for the title of Public Enemy Number One.

Frankly, I'd never heard of the Chinese mitten crab, yet it is thriving in canals - certainly in our patch - and is very, very bad news. It has also been found in the River Severn.

Capable of growing to the size of a dinner plate and with heavy white claws and hairy legs, it looks like a villain.

In south east Asia, where it should be, the crab is considered a delicacy and sell for around £85 at Singapore fishmongers.

Here, its habits are leaving a very bad taste. Mitten crabs are ravenous, decimating plants and munching on water wildlife.

They burrow, causing river banks to collapse.

The Canal and River Trust understandably wants rid of the oversized crab.