Brits given venomous snake warning forward of heatwave as reptiles flip aggressive

Snake attack warnings have been issued ahead of the weekend scorcher.

Adders – Britain’s only native venomous slitherers – are poised to come out in the sun. Bredy Vets in Bridport, Dorset, has already treated three dogs for bites.

People visiting beaches, countryside picnic spots and even town centre parks should be alert to the critters. Frisky male adders are performing their springtime “dance” where they intertwine with rival males for the right to mate with females.

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The horny ritual makes them aggressive and every year between 50 and 100 people are bitten. Infants, the elderly and the frail are most at risk.

There have been 14 recorded human deaths from adder bites since 1876, according to the Reptile and Amphibian Conservation Trust.

The last was in 1975 thanks to improvements in the availability of anti-poison serum.

Richard Daponte, a ranger with Forestry England, said: “An adder bite stops the blood from clotting.

“The best thing is to be still to stop it circulating and get taken to a hospital as soon as possible.

“Never suck the poison out – that would make it worse and lead to all sorts of complications.

“Usually the swelling only goes to the next big joint.

“So if you are bitten in the toe it will go to your knee, if you are bitten in the finger it will go to your elbow.”

Adders like heaths, moors, woods, seaside cliffs and beaches.

They are commonly found across the South West, South East and East of England, in much of Scotland and parts of South Wales.

Venom from an adder can land people in hospital, although they rarely attack unless they feel threatened or they’re defending their young.

It is more likely that a pet, such as a dog, would be bitten by the snakes, which normally act in self defence.

Mutts can be especially curious and can unintentionally provoke an adder into biting.

The snakes are grey or reddish-brown, with a dark zig-zag shaped stripe down their back.

There are two other native species in the wild in Britain.Grass snakes can grow to four or five feet and the much smaller smooth snake – both of which are harmless.

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