The European invader that's after your blood: Ticks from continent discovered in UK

A breed of blood-sucking tick normally found on the continent has been discovered in Britain for the first time.

Scientists say that climate change has brought the parasite to the UK – and warned that it may have brought with it new strains of disease from Europe.

The researchers, from the University of Bristol, also found that the number of pet dogs infested with ticks was far higher than previously thought.

This increases the risk that diseases carried by the foreign tick – Dermacentor reticulatus – will spread quickly to people and animals in this country, they cautioned.

Professor Richard Wall, head of the veterinary parasitology group at the university, said: ‘The results suggest that the risk of tick infestation is far higher in dogs than was previously thought. This has serious implications for the incidence of tick-borne disease.

‘The study also confirms that a non-native species of tick, which is also a major disease vector in Europe, is now established in southern England.’ (read more)