Met Office pollen bomb warning as hay fever-hit Brits in six areas set to suffer

has issued a pollen bomb warning with hay-fever sufferers in six regions of the country set to suffer.

Experts issued for the South West and South East of England with levels expected to be very high. The very high birch and ash pollen alert will remain in place for the South West until at least Thursday, April 10. Meanwhile, levels will remain high in the South East until Tuesday, April 8, with levels dropping to high and then medium on Wednesday and Thursday, respectively. Traveling north to the West Midlands, pollen levels are set to be high today before escalating to very high on Monday and Tuesday.

On Wednesday, the said birch and ash pollen levels would fall to high before returning to very high on Thursday. Conditions will be similar in Wales with levels being high today before rising to very high from Monday through to Wednesday before falling to high on Thursday.

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In the North West, conditions will remain at high levels until Tuesday, before falling to medium on Wednesday, and returning to high once again on Thursday. Brits in East Anglia will are forecast to see high levels through to Tuesday before levels fall to medium for Wednesday and Thursday.

Northern Ireland pollen levels remain medium today before rising to high for Monday through to Wednesday before escalating to very high on Thursday, according to the Met Office. Levels will remain medium and high across the rest of England while similar conditions are expected in .

The only exception north of the border are for the Shetland and Orkney islands where low levels of pollen are expected for until at least Thursday. The higher levels of pollen can prove to be a nuisance for people who live with the common allergy.

What are symptoms of hay fever

According to the , symptoms of hay fever can include:

• Sneezing and coughing
• A runny or blocked nose
• Itchy, red or watery eyes
• Itchy throat, mouth, nose and ears
• Loss of smell
• Pain around the sides of your head and your forehead
• Headache
• Feeling tired

Symptoms are typically at their worst between late March and September and particularly when it is warm, humid and windy. This is typically when the pollen count is at its highest.

Hay fever can last for weeks or months, unlike a cold, which usually goes away after one or two weeks. While there is no cure for hay fever, there are things that people can do to mitigate its effects.

People who are known to suffer from hay fever can do the following:

• Put petroleum jelly (such as Vaseline) around your nostrils to trap pollen

• Wear wraparound sunglasses, a mask or a wide-brimmed hat to stop pollen getting into your nose and eyes

• Shower and change your clothes after you have been outside to wash pollen off

• Keep windows and doors shut as much as possible

• Vacuum regularly and dust with a damp cloth

• Try to use a pollen filter in the air vents of your car, if you have one, and a HEPA filter in your vacuum cleaner