Sussex residents are being warned to watch out for super-sized killer wasps.

The Euro wasps, double the size of our own, have made their way across the Channel and are setting up home in bushes and shrubs.

Wasp experts fear for people's safety because the insects nest in places which can be disturbed easily and, once irritated, the bugs bite back.

The Euro wasps have claimed one life and almost killed several other people during the last few years in Britain.

One pensioner in Devizes, Wiltshire, died in 2000 after receiving a large number of stings from the angry insects.

A friend, who went to his rescue, suffered a heart attack himself but survived the swarm.

Expert David Fletcher, from St Leonards, has dealt with wasp problems throughout Sussex.

He was called to a property in Bexhill last week when a family discovered a nest full of the European invaders in their hedge.

Mr Fletcher, 41, said: "We were hoping last year was just a flash in the pan but they are here again and they are here to stay."

Eighteen years after its first recorded appearance, the inch-long Euro wasp has reached record numbers in Britain after a series of mild winters.

The wasp first colonised the Newhaven area and has since moved northwards and all along the coast.

The bugs are no more dangerous than the British version but gardeners and walkers tend to fall victim because the insects' nests are built low in bushes, unlike the British species, which prefer attics and hidden corners.

Mr Fletcher said: "The problem with the nests is they are often concealed in dense bushes like Rhododendron.

"They can be set off by someone just moving the lawnmower or walking past a bush.

"They view movement as a threat and attack en masse and swiftly. Their venom is quite toxic."

He said anyone who spots a nest should contact their local authority.

Dr Gerald Legg, keeper of natural sciences at the Booth Museum in Brighton, said people could easily identify the wasps by a marking on the thorax, which looked like a figure seven in yellow.

He said: "I saw one yesterday. It landed and grabbed a fly and chopped its head off.

"They are quite common in Brighton but are no more aggressive than other wasps. It is where they nest that can cause the problems."