SUNBATHERS soaking up Britain's summer are being warned about swarms of "Dracula" horseflies which not only tear flesh but also fend off repellents.

A blend of hot weather and downpours has lured the vampire flying bugs to the UK rather than the Mediterranean nations they usually plague.

The "Dracula" insects can rip flesh as well as through clothes, experts say.

The silent female bloodsuckers are able to inflict painful bites and spread harmful infections such as cellulitis which can trigger sepsis.

To make matters worse the current breed are also proving immune repellent sprays, according to the Daily Mail.

And once the so-called vampire horseflies sink in their fangs, the wounds might not be fully treatable with current antibiotics.

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Allergy sufferers are at bigger risk of suffering potentially-fatal anaphylactic shock.

Other symptoms of horsefly bites include swelling limbs, dizziness, shortness of breath and itchy, painful rashes.

The British Pest Control Association has put horseflies in its "Top Ten Stings and Bites to Avoid List".

And unlike bees, they don't buzz so can come up against humans unnoticed.

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One victim already this summer was Alice Duvall, from Amesbury in Wiltshire, who described an "excruciating" bite which left a "huge red blotch that began swelling right away".

She said: "There are loads of them all of a sudden in this weather.

"They're really sneaky too – I never felt it land on me, I only knew when it bit me. It didn't buzz or anything, like a wasp or bee would."

Dean Collins, from Brighton, was bitten on the leg while walking in the park with his girlfriend.

He said: "Man, it's so painful – far worse than a wasp sting."

Recent thunderstorms across the country – following sunny weather – have stirred up muggy conditions in which horseflies prosper.

Severe side-effects are rare and yet horsefly bites have led to deaths.

Former rugby player and father-of-four Andy Batty, from Brixham in Devon, died aged 48 after suffering a massive allergic reaction to a horsefly bite.

He died within seconds of being bitten after suffering anapyhlactic shock in 2013, paramedics revealed.

Lindsey McManus, deputy chief executive at Allergy UK, said at the time: "Anaphylaxis to a horsefly bite is incredibly rare. It is more common for people to develop localised infection and pain around the bite.

"As with any allergic reaction, the sufferer would have previously developed antibodies, in this case, to the horsefly allergen by being bitten previously.

"The body's immune system reacts on further contact by producing chemicals such as histamine, which cause the symptoms that we recognise as allergy, including itching, swelling, rashes, and in the most severe form, anaphylaxis.

"This is very unusual and although horsefly bites can be painful, the likelihood of someone being this allergic is very rare indeed."

The BPCA is now warning of the dangers the bugs increasingly pose, saying: "Literally designed to eat a horse, their bite is both impressive and painful.

"The horsefly is a sanguivorous insect and therefore wants to bite you.

"They can persistently chase you at a flying speed of around 15mph, and it'll bite right through clothes.

"It has mandibles that can rip and tear flesh apart."

And pest management firm Sentomol cautioned: "Unlike insects which surreptitiously puncture the skin with needle-like organs, female horseflies have specially adapted mouth-parts which they use to rip and/or slice flesh apart.

"This causes the blood to seep out as the horsefly licks it up.

"The horsefly is secretive, with an annoying ability to land without being detected and escaping before the victim begins to experience any pain.

"The subsequent bite can be extremely irritating.

"Its bite is considered more immediately painful than that of a mosquito."

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Possible remedies include dabbing a bite with antiseptic then covering the wound with an ice pack to help avoid infection and swelling.

The NHS also recommends: "See your GP if you have symptoms of an infection, such as pus or increasing pain, redness and swelling."

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