Pollen on the increase

SCIENTISTS are warning hay fever sufferers that the days of a traditional winter escape from the disease may be over - because there is pollen in the air in mid-January!

Researchers at Worcester University's National Pollen and Aerobiology Unit say that pollen is in the air from hazel, alder and yew which, fortunately, are only mildly allergenic - but could still cause problems from severe sufferers.

The charity Allergy UK says that mild winters and earlier springs mean that hay fever victims, who could once rely on a few months of escape during the winter, are now suffering all the year round.