'Quick' results for West Nile virus mosquito tests

Gamston will be among a number of locations nationwide to undergo mosquito surveillance

An expert has said there will be a "quick-turnaround" in finding out whether mosquitoes in Nottinghamshire have West Nile virus.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) previously said fragments of the virus - which can sometimes make people seriously ill - had been found in wetland in Retford, Nottinghamshire.

This summer, Gamston near Retford will be among a number of locations to undergo mosquito surveillance as part of a national project to understand mosquito activity across Britain.

The UKHSA said to date there had been no cases of people catching West Nile virus in the UK.

The UKHSA is working with Bassetlaw District Council and Nottinghamshire County Council to increase surveillance on land along the River Idle, where nuisance biting from mosquitoes has taken place in previous years.

The agency added the risk to the public is "low".

'Detect the virus'

Jolyon Medlock, head of medical entomology at UKHSA, told the BBC that the agency had set up traps for the mosquitoes.

Mr Medlock said "As the number of mosquitoes start to pick up, we start to detect them in our traps, we'll then identify them.

"We'll separate out the ones that we are more concerned about and then they will go to the animal and plant health agency for testing.

"So within a quite quick turnaround, we'll have some results on whether we can detect the virus or not."

Retford has previously had a mosquito problem and work to reduce their numbers has taken place

Work has been undertaken in Gamston since 2018 to reshape the wetland and reduce the flood risk.

This has minimised habitats for the mosquitoes and has curbed the issue of biting, said Nottinghamshire County Council.

Vivienne Robbins, the county's director of public health and communities, said: "This type of mosquito is native to the UK.

"Mosquitoes in the UK are also commonly found in wet woodland areas, ponds, ditches, marshes, and even garden water butts.

"To avoid being bitten by a mosquito, wear long-sleeved clothing and trousers to cover your arms and legs, use insect repellent on your arms and legs, or use blinds or screens to help keep mosquitoes out of homes."