A plague of wasps is bringing misery to Sussex.

Mild winters and recent heatwaves have caused a breeding frenzy, leading to the largest number of nests for up to 24 years.

As the weather cools, the wasps become sluggish and experts say this is when they are at their most dangerous.

Rother District Council says it has been deluged with calls from people discovering wasps' nests.

The population explosion has resulted in a huge increase in calls to pest controllers and a run on shop stocks of insecticides.

Experts blame the pest increase on last year's hot summer, which meant nests were able to produce large numbers of queens for this year.

More queens also survived hibernation over the mild winter while a warm spring allowed the breeding of more worker wasps, which have built bigger nests.

The council said its pest controllers had experienced a 50 per cent increase in reports of wasps' nests in homes and gardens.

A spokesman warned the influx could lead to "super nests" appearing in people's homes next year.

He said: "The increase was so overwhelming the council had to enlist extra temporary staff to cope with the influx."

Common wasps live in colonies which can contain up to 25,000 insects. A colony consists of a queen, worker wasps, drones and larvae.

The spokesman warned: "In all cases it is unwise to tackle wasps' nests, whether they are in lofts, bushes or in the ground, unless you are competent in dealing with these types of pests.

"Any disturbance to a nest will invoke a defensive response and multiple stings can occur. Anaphylactic shock may be induced, a potentially life-threatening condition."

Shopkeepers selling wasp powders and foams said they had been inundated with customers.

DIY store B&Q has sold up to 60 per cent more wasp insecticides and Boots is at least ten per cent up on last year.