A mosquito infestation is causing misery for residents in a Kent town – with some staying inside to avoid “being eaten alive”.

Swarms of the insects have sunk their teeth into people living near the water’s edge in Sandwich, forcing them onto antibiotics following adverse reactions to bites.

The latest influx comes following similar complaints about the River Stour during unusually warm weather in October last year.

And this week, people say their patience is wearing thin as they plead for Dover District Council (DDC) to take action – though the local authority claims it cannot currently do so.

District councillor Dan Friend told KentOnline his son required medical intervention after being bitten near his eye, and he is now “pushing DDC for more testing”.

“The situation in Sandwich isn’t great but it has been happening for 800 years,” he says.

“Based on the results of the testing there isn’t a problem but based on the experiences of residents there is.

“Finding the source of the mosquitoes is like finding a needle in a haystack; they can travel for up to three miles and it could be one fairly small water source, it could be on private land.

“I’m working with the DDC team and some outside agencies to see what we can do - we’re pushing for more testing.”

As a result of the town's close proximity to the salt marshes, Sandwich and its residents have often found themselves battling the pesky pests during the summer months.

While most mosquitoes in the area are ‘Aedes detritus', which develops along the banks of the River Stour, 'Culiseta annulata' is another mosquito with a vicious bite which is known to be local.

DDC is only permitted to treat mosquitoes on a particular stretch of the River Stour, between the Environment Agency sluices named Vigo Sprong and Black Sluice.

It also tests for mosquito larvae three times a year.

The council's trigger levels require at least 50% of testing samples to contain more than 20 mosquito larvae in their most immature form, while treatment is banned from the end of April to September.

But after a particularly wretched summer for many families, a large number of people are sharing their grievances on social media.

One person commented on a Facebook post: “My grandson ended up at Deal Hospital to get treatment for an infected bite. Needed a course of antibiotics. Bitten daily while at school.”

Another lamented the loss of outdoor time with their child as a result of the infestation, saying: “We are sick of them. Can't even take our toddler to the park without all 3 of us coming back full of bites.”

Mum-of-three Kate Blackman started the discussion on a local Facebook group - with the number of people weighing in on the matter taking her by surprise.

Her 17-year-old son was left needing antibiotics after one particularly nasty attack and has been left with as many as 60 bites within the space of an hour while playing football outside.

Mrs Blackwell said: "Mosquitoes have been a huge problem in Sandwich this year; my son had just one bite on his hand which was so swollen he had to seek medical attention.

“I was bitten 20 times within two hours in my garden. I’ve been afraid to go outside and mow the lawn because it’s got so bad - we are all suffering here.

“Any normal activity like just sitting in the garden is horrible as we are being eaten alive.”

The Environment Agency told KentOnline it is “not responsible for swamps or the kind of still waters where mosquitoes breed”.

Meanwhile, the district council expressed sympathy towards residents but noted strict requirements for the treating of mosquito larvae had not been reached.

A spokesperson said: “We have performed our regular seasonal larvae monitoring for post-summer. The monitoring showed very low larvae numbers, which means there is currently no justification to spray in these areas.

“We continue to monitor the levels of larvae seasonally at the above location, and if they reach set levels, we spray the area in order to reduce the population of certain mosquito species.

“Unfortunately, the local authority is unable to eradicate the issues caused by mosquitos in the Sandwich area.

“Local residents are encouraged to take preventive measures such as those detailed on our website to help prevent the impact that mosquitoes can cause residents.”

Council bosses are advising the use of chemical repellents, fly screens and preventative measures such as sealing or draining of still-water sources.