Number of hay fever sufferers seeking NHS advice triples

Sitting in long grass is not recommended for hay-fever sufferers

More than 122,650 people visited the NHS website seeking hay-fever advice last week, as the pollen count hit some of its highest levels this year.

Weekly visitors to the site's hay-fever advice pages have tripled in the past five weeks, NHS England says, with one visit every three seconds on Sunday.

The allergy usually strikes from late March to September, when it is warm, windy and humid and pollen counts high.

There is no cure but over-the-counter medication can manage most symptoms.

• Can you spend time in the garden with hay fever?

• Hay fever warning over predicted birch pollen high

• Is hay fever getting worse in the UK?

They include:

• sneezing

• coughing

• a runny or blocked nose

• red, itchy or watery eyes

• headaches

• earache

• losing the sense of smell

People with asthma may also suffer worse symptoms than usual over the coming days. Thunderstorms are predicted for parts of the UK and water breaks down pollen granules into smaller particles that can lodge deeper into the airways in the lungs.

• Check the pollen count near you

The pollen count is set to be high or very high across most of the UK this week - and the NHS website features recommendations on how to manage symptoms, including:

• putting petroleum jelly around the nostrils, to trap pollen

• showering and changing clothes after being outside, to wash off pollen

• staying indoors with doors and windows shut

• buying a pollen filter for cars and a high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter for vacuum cleaners

• not cutting the grass or keeping fresh flowers inside