A HARMFUL caterpillar needs to be dealt with sooner rather than later, a councillor has claimed.

Portland Town Councillor Rodney Wild discussed the eradication of the island’s brown-tailed moth eggs at a town council meeting. A number of the moth’s triangular web-like nests have been found in blackthorn bushes around Portland and on the sea wall towards Hallelujah Bay.

The brown-tailed moth caterpillars can pose a health hazard when they shed their skin, which can get blown around by the wind and can cause problems for asthmatics who breath in the hairs.

Cllr Wild said: “There is a lot of them about this year and next year there could be a big problem. It can be very dangerous for asthmatics because if they breath in the hairs, it is like breathing in fibre glass.

“The best time to deal with them is now, when they are still eggs.”

Weymouth and Portland Borough Council is aware of the brown-tailed moth eggs and has advised the public on how to deal with them.

Cllr Francis Drake, Briefholder for Community Safety, said: “Our advice would be to avoid any infestation and not try to destroy them yourself. Burning could cause further immediate health risks, such as spread of fire.

“There are specialist companies available if you believe you have an unavoidable infestation, such as one on your property.”

The hairs on the caterpillars’ bodies are microscopic hypodermics that will inject histamines and other toxins into your skin if they get stuck there, which can cause rashes.

Problems with the caterpillars usually begin when the population builds up and the caterpillars run out of food and roam looking for other bushes to feed on.

Outbreaks of brown-tail moths peak on the south coast every ten to 12 years.

Cllr Wild said this isn’t the first time Portland has had problems with the caterpillars.

He added: “I remember when we had a particularly bad year on Weston Street and the caterpillars were climbing up people’s walls and under their beds. People looked like they had the measles, it looked as though there had been an epidemic.”