Death's head hawk moths, best known for their eerie appearance in horror film The Silence Of The Lambs, have been spotted in Sussex thanks to the heatwave.

The creatures - which have a distinctive skull-and-crossbones pattern on their back - are believed to have flown more than 1,000 miles from their home in North Africa.

One of the moths' caterpillars was found in a garden in Lancing and taken to the Sussex Wildlife Trust in Henfield.

It is the first time the species, Latin name Acherontia atropos, has been seen in Sussex this year and one of only a handful of recorded sightings here in the last 20 years.

Mike Russell of the wildlife trust said: "They are spectacular moths. They are rare but sometimes a couple per year blow over from Africa and the Continent.

"Because of the very good summer they have found ideal conditions for breeding. This is the only one we have known this year - there have been no other sightings in Sussex."

The death's head hawk moth has been seen as an object of terror over the centuries, with legend describing it as a harbinger of war and death.

Mr Russell said: "The moth was used as a symbol of death in The Silence of the Lambs but there is nothing sinister about it at all apart from the markings."

Any unusual wildlife sightings can be reported to the Sussex Wildlife Trust on 01273 494777.