Caterpillars devour Lakes grass

The caterpillar hatches in huge numbers every eight to 10 years

A plague of caterpillars has eaten away miles of grass in the Lake District.

The antler moth caterpillars, which are about two inches long, have hatched in their millions in the Helvellyn and Skiddaw areas.

The phenomenon, thought to occur once every eight to 10 years, has left some expanses of dead grass where sheep are normally grazed.

A spokesman for the Cumbria Wildlife Trust said the natural occurrence was "nothing to worry about".

Gavin Bland, who farms with his father at Threlkeld near Keswick, said: "There isn't anything green growing on a strip about half a mile wide down the Helvellyn range.

"There isn't just one caterpillar, there's millions of them, and once they've been through and eaten everything green, there's nothing left for the sheep to eat."

'Cyclical basis'

Joe Murphy, of the Cumbria Wildlife Trust, said: "I'm not worried. It's a natural phenomenon and I think it's something that we just have to put up with.

"There will be a big emergence of antler moths around July or August, but they're quite a pretty moth really.

"The antler moth always lays its eggs year after year on that kind of fell ground, but we only notice it every eight to 10 years because they have this massive kind of emergence all at once.

"It's perfectly natural and is something that will continue happening on a cyclical basis."