Poisonous caterpillars strip tree and leave residents with rashes

An infestation of poisonous caterpillars has taken over a neighbourhood in south London.

Residents of the estate in New Addington said the furry brown and orange insects have stripped bare an entire pear tree.

Several people have been forced to seek medical help after coming out in a rash and having breathing difficulties as a result of the infestation.

The caterpillars, up to 1.5 inches long, have not been formally identified but are believed to be brown tail moths.

Resident Paula Davey, 69, said: "They've eaten a whole pear tree, rooftop-high. It's stripped bare. Not a leaf or bud left on there.

"Originally we could see them hanging in a cotton wool-like pod, lots of them, in something the size of a grapefruit. You could see the caterpillars moving inside.

"Now people have been having them going under their front doors, through their windows, and lots of people have come out in a rash. One lady had to go to hospital, it looked like shingles it was so bad."

She added: "It's scary because you go out in the garden and they're everywhere, you can't get rid of them."

The brown tail moth is not dangerous, but as a caterpillar its spines break off, which can cause itching in humans and surface wounds to the skin.

Experts warned they are a danger to young children and the elderly who are more vulnerable to infection. Bruce Lindsay-Smith, of County Pest Control Services, said: "You've either got to cut the branch off the trees or you've got to spray them. But a bad infection like this is dangerous and unusual."

A Croydon council spokesman said it recommended calling in a reputable commercial pest control service or deal with the problem yourself while avoiding skin contact with the caterpillars. He added: "Go to a good garden centre to get a suitable spray or alternatively carefully cut them off the branches they are on, bag them up and either burn them or bin them."