Government scientists have warned that climate change is increasingly making it possible for disease-carrying bugs to cross the Channel from Europe to reach the UK.
Insects that once could only survive in the warmer Mediterranean and further south are now migrating into northern Europe, carried by winds across ocean channels and by ferries and trains.
Research suggests that rising temperatures and less severe winters are allowing the pests to thrive in the UK.
Leading government experts are pouring millions of pounds of taxpayer money into trying to solve the problem of invasive alien species in the UK.
Plant, animal and human health scientists are all grappling with the same problem, and the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is increasingly wary of the possibility of dengue fever (better known as bone fracture fever) being transmitted by the Asian tiger mosquito, with an increasing number of cases in northern France and evidence that it is becoming established in the region.
Models predict that as a result of climate change, much of the UK will become more habitable for this mosquito over the next few years.
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Last year Dr Jolyon Medlock, head of medical entomology and zoonotic ecology at the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), said that the mosquito could become established in the UK within 10 years.
Dr Isabel Oliver, UKHSA's chief scientific officer, told the Telegraph: “Most illness and death from mosquito-borne diseases occurs in the tropics, but the risk from mosquitoes entering the UK is increasing.”
“Driving factors for this increased risk include climate and environmental change, globalization of travel and trade, and land-use change.”
The UKHSA is running a monitoring scheme using a range of traps across Kent, Sussex and other parts of southern England, which entomologists regularly check for signs of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes.
“As well as monitoring people for infection, Health Security England is also monitoring mosquitoes and other vectors to monitor the risk to public health so that any changes can be identified quickly and effectively,” Dr Oliver added.
Tick-borne encephalitis and Lyme disease are also being closely monitored by public health experts as they make their way to the UK from overseas, along with West Nile virus, chikungunya virus and malaria.
“You can't stop them at the border.”
Government experts are also working to protect Britain's plants and animals from invaders.
Native spruce trees are under threat from the European longhorn beetle, and scientists are urging the public to watch for signs of tree disease and report them for research.
The spruce bark beetle, Ips typographus, is a problem in many parts of the South East, including Norfolk, Suffolk, London and Kent, which are now areas of active spruce felling, and landowners are being encouraged to replace the trees with other species.
Professor Nicola Spence, chief plant health officer at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), said it would be almost impossible to stop the beetle from entering the country.
“I can't regulate it, it's going to come anyway when the wind blows, you can't stop it at the border,” she told The Telegraph.
“It has been found in the south east but it's the spruce woodlands in Scotland, Wales and the south west that are at risk. We are focusing our efforts on woodland management in the south east to protect the rest of the UK.”
“Pests and pathogens pose a major risk to the UK's biosecurity and ecosystems. As a result of climate change and globalisation, the numbers and diversity of pests and pathogens we are exposed to have increased rapidly in recent years.”
“In recent years, pests such as Yips typographus, which can cause significant damage to the UK's forestry and timber industries, have been seen entering the UK on strong winds and surviving thanks to the warmer climate.
“We have strong surveillance and eradication measures in place to combat the spread, but for trees and plants to survive it is vital that we continue to adapt to a changing climate and increase their resilience.”
Meanwhile, veterinarians from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs were preparing to carry out large numbers of tests this summer for bluetongue, a disease that affects livestock such as cattle and sheep and causes animals to develop a blue tongue.
The midge, which belongs to the midge family, spreads the virus to whatever it bites – sheep, deer, llamas and goats – but experts say it has no impact on people or food security.
Farmers, veterinarians and Government scientists across the country are on high alert for bluetongue, with the latest government guidance saying “infected midges may be spread by wind from populations on the coasts of Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium” to the UK.
Experts say the risk of an invasion by midges, which transmit diseases for which there is no vaccine, is “medium.”
“Vector-borne diseases account for more than 17% of infectious human diseases worldwide and mosquitoes and ticks are well established and invasive, so they pose a growing threat to the UK,” said Elle Brown, the UK's deputy chief veterinary officer.
“Climate change – hotter summers, warmer winters and wetter winters – could increase native mosquito populations, prolong the vector season and increase the ability of non-native mosquito species to establish in the UK and transmit disease.”
“The Department for Environment and Food and HMRC are investing more than £7 million across a range of research proposals to improve our ability and capabilities to predict, understand, mitigate and avoid the threat of animal and human-borne infectious diseases.”
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