'I almost stripped naked during wasp attack'

Emily Hutchison says she was attacked by the wasps while on a footpath with her family

It was meant to be a peaceful Sunday stroll, but Emily Hutchison says a walk with family turned into a nightmare as she was attacked by hundreds of wasps.

"It was like a scene out of a horror movie," she said. "Hundreds clung on to my clothes and were stinging me."

Emily, 40, says she started removing her clothes to get the wasps away from her after she walked past a nest on a footpath in Clifton, Nottingham, and had "no idea" how to protect herself from the insects.

The British Pest Control Association (BPCA) said it was seeing an increase in wasps this year and reminded people they should stay vigilant and report any nests that risk health and safety to them.

The nest was in this hole in the ground

Emily says she was walking along Silverdale Walk with her mother, sister and two nieces when she was "swarmed" by wasps on 24 August.

"We were just taking a stroll along the path when my niece shouted that there was a nest," she says.

"My mind blanked out after that... and then they were all over my body. I felt them in my hair, buzzing in my ears, and crawling all over my legs."

Emily says she needed to get the wasps off her body, so took her trousers off and stripped down to her underwear "in full view of the trams going past".

She adds: "I felt really embarrassed but what else was I supposed to do?"

Emily says she suffered about 30 wasp stings and felt ill afterwards.

"My body was itchy and in pain from all of the stings," she says. "A few days after it happened, the pain got really bad and I had to go to hospital."

Emily was stung on a footpath she regularly visits

The BPCA said it was seeing an increase in the numbers of wasps this year.

Niall Gallagher, from the BPCA, said: "We see more wasps at the end of August because they finish their nests at around this time as the queens will be getting ready for winter.

"They also want to eat more carbohydrates like sugar, so they're out looking for fruit and other sugary foods."

Wasps nests can be found in a number of locations, such as buildings and trees but Mr Gallagher said that ground nests like this one are commonly used by certain species of wasps.

According to the BPCA, there is no legal duty on public bodies to control wasp nests, but they must be dealt with if they pose a threat to health and safety.

Nottingham City Council said: "Wasps do not carry or transmit diseases that are a risk to human health and [the council] does not take action against wasp nests in the natural environment/on public land.

"It's important to note that the council does not provide a pest control service for private land or property - responsibility in those cases lies with the landowner."

'Agitated the nest'

Emily says she had "no idea" how to keep herself safe and deter the wasps during the encounter.

She says: "I know during a fire, you stop, drop and roll. But what is the equivalent during a wasp attack? People need to know what to do."

Mr Gallagher says anyone's first move should be to get as far away from the nest "as humanly possible".

"Wasps will usually only sting people if their nest is under threat or attack," he said.

"Incidents like this are unfortunately down to bad luck - there are plenty of nests around, but someone else walking past may have agitated the nest before her [Emily]."

"Lots of stings can send people into anaphylactic shock, so please seek medical attention if you feel unwell after being stung," he added.