The Flowers Are Gonna Get Ya...

If you're a hayfever sufferer then the news is grim - this summer looks like being one of the worst on record for the victims of pollen kind.

Apparently 20 per-cent of the UK's population already suffers from hayfever, but scientists are warning that some of us may well experience the condition of the first time this week as grass pollen counts are the highest recorded for a decade.

So if you've woken up with a sore throat and running nose this morning, it might not be the incipient virus or incoming cold that you thought, you may just have mild hayfever. Things are as bad as they are because this is the start of the grass pollen season.

All over Britain, randy grass is poised to deliver sack loads of irritating pollen into the air and the dry, breezy conditions spread it around nicely. Peak levels are generally reached between 7 am and 9 am in the morning and 3 pm and 7 pm in the evening as air cools and the pollen falls back to earth, which is nice...

So what can you do? Apparently if you're already a sufferer, you should start taking anti-histamines early, around three to four weeks before things start to get bad rather than waiting for the symptoms to show themselves, though obviously they'll still help if you do get it bad.

You'll also find pollen levels are lower near the coast, so try cliff rather than moorland walking. Even better, Scotland is far less prone to the curse than further south, so consider some summer Munro-bagging activities. Watch out for the midgies though, they really get up your nose as well.

At home, keep doors and windows closed, feel miserable and avoid drying washing outside. Finally experts advise smearing vaseline inside your nose to trap the pollen grains before they can get to more sensitive areas.

There's an excellent comprehensive overview on the Mirror site and if you want to check the latest pollen forecase, follow this link.