Warning...red fire ant invasion coming to UK

HIGHLY invasive red fire ants could soon be setting up home in Britain thanks to global warming, a pest expert has warned.

- By Tony Whitfield

The creature may only be the size of a grain of rice but their bites can be so painful they require medical treatment and can trigger fatal allergic reactions.

As pests go they are known for being destructive and are one of the costliest to deal with.

Although none have yet been found in the UK, Gerwyn Jones, president of the Pest Management Association of New Zealand, warned it is only a matter of time.

If they became established Mr Jones estimates it would cost £500million annually to try to eradicate them, while they rack up a potential death toll of 30 people a year.

In less than a century the insects have spread from their native South America into Mexico, the US, Australia, New Zealand, China and Taiwan.