Doncaster man in hospital after snake bites in Dalby forest

The public is being warned to keep clear of Britain's only venomous snake - the adder - after a visitor to Dalby Forest in North Yorkshire was left seriously ill when he was bitten three times.

He was airlifted to hospital, but experts insist there is a low risk to people walking through our woods, moors and grasslands - as long as they leave the animals alone. Michael Billington reports:

The statistics:

• The last death in the UK was in 1975 when a five-year-old boy was bitten on the ankle in Scotland.
• Research conducted after this showed there had been 14 deaths from adder bites in the previous 100 years.
• One death between 1950 and 1972 in England and Wales but 61 deaths from bee or wasp stings.
• About 100 adder bites are now reported in the UK each year, with most between February and October.

Medical information:

• According to NHS advice, adder bite symptoms include swelling, vomiting, nausea and dizziness.
• In most cases, the only treatment required is observation in hospital.
• More severe bites are treated with anti-venom medication.
• Children bitten by an adder will usually make a full recovery in about one to three weeks
• Adults usually require more than three weeks to recover fully.

Snake expert, Steve Dickie, says the public should not be worried about snakes in this country, because the number of people who become seriously ill from being bitten is extremely small.

It comes after a man from Doncaster was bitten three times by an adder in Dalby Forest.

A man from Doncaster is still seriously ill in hospital after being bitten three times by a snake.

The 44-year-old was visiting Dalby Forest near Scarborough when he was bitten by an adder.

He was given treatment by an off-duty paramedic, and then by rapid response doctors, before being taken to hospital by Air Ambulance.

The man's in a serious but stable condition in the James Cook Hospital in Middlesborough.