'Deadly pollen bomb' warning issued as temperatures to hit 25C over Easter Bank Holiday
Bank Holiday revellers have been warned a "deadly pollen bomb" could strike over the Easter weekend, as temperatures are set to soar as high as 25C.
The Met Office has forecast a dry, settled Bank Holiday weekend for much of the UK, with the mercury hitting the high teens and low 20s on Saturday and Sunday.
Yet the warmer weather could be bad news for hay fever and asthma sufferers, with the natioal weather service forecasting a high chance of pollen, from the South West of England all the way up as far as central Tayside and Fife in Scotland on Saturday.
Sonia Munde, head of services at Asthma UK, said: "A deadly pollen bomb is due to hit this week, putting people with asthma at risk of a potentially life-threatening asthma attack.
“Around 3.3 million people with asthma are affected by pollen, which can cause symptoms such as wheezing, a tight chest or coughing.
“Trees have been releasing their pollen for several weeks, but the warm spring weather is going to make these pollen levels spike.”
The Met Office predicts the tree pollen risk will be higher in many places, in part due to the sunny weather.
Discussing how asthma sufferers could protect themselves, Ms Munde said: “Take your prescribed preventer medicine to soothe your irritated airways so you’re less likely to react to the pollen trigger.
“Take hay fever medicines such as antihistamines as they stop the allergic reaction that triggers asthma symptoms and keep itchy eyes and runny noses at bay.
“Everyone with asthma should keep their blue reliever inhaler with them at all times in case of an emergency.”
Met Office spokeswoman Nicola Maxey said: “I think, with the weather condition and the warmer conditions we had earlier in the year, there’s a higher chance for plants to develop and pollen to potentially arise.”
She added that temperatures around the mid-20 mark were not uncommon for this time of year, with a high of 29.1C recorded in parts of London on April 19 last year.