Week-long hay fever alert issued for most of the UK

• The Met Office has issued a red hay fever alert, forecasting "very high" levels of pollen across much of the UK, affecting England and Wales from Monday until the weekend, with Scotland and Northern Ireland also experiencing high levels.
• About 10 million Britons suffer from hay fever, an allergy triggered by pollen that causes symptoms such as sneezing, a runny nose, and itchy eyes, throat, mouth, or ears.
• The symptoms are caused when the immune system reacts to pollen in the body, producing histamine and other chemicals.
• Specific pollens like birch, ash, and plane are forecast to be very high in southern England, Wales, northern England, and Scotland during the week.
• Warmer temperatures, with parts of the UK reaching up to 19C and London potentially 24C, are contributing to the higher pollen counts.

IN FULL

Met Office issues week-long ‘red alert’ for hay fever