Wiltshire residents are warned that pollen levels will reach extremely high levels across the South West of England today.

The Met Office alerted the public to the rising pollen levels with a map of the UK showing the worst hotspots.

On Thursday, the South West was shown as one of the few areas to be classed as ‘very high’ for pollen.

This includes tree pollen such as birch, plane, willow, ash, and a little oak as well as fungal spores including Pleospora in peak season & Aspergillus and Penicillium.

The news of rising pollen comes alongside rising temperatures across Wiltshire with pleasant weather expected to last throughout the day on Thursday.

A BBC forecast expects Swindon to be sunny for most of Thursday with highs of 14 degrees from 3pm to 5pm.

However, showers are expected to set in from Friday throughout the weekend.

There was also a warning for very high pollen levels in the BBC forecast.

“Some hay fever sufferers may be experiencing a sudden spike in their symptoms a bit earlier than usual, this may be due to the recent prolonged wet and windy weather,” says Claire Nevinson, superintendent pharmacist at Boots.

“On a daily basis, rainfall tends to decrease pollen, but over a period of months, intermittent wet days tend to produce a more severe hay fever season overall.”