Kent's gardeners could see their plants ravaged by an influx of slugs this summer.

Experts say the series of mild winters and warm springs in recent years have created the ideal conditions for the creatures which can decimate vegetable patches and destroy garden plants.

Slugs can lay hundreds of eggs which lay dormant until conditions are right - and this year things are looking particularly good for the gooey gastropods.

Kent Wildlife Trust conservation officer Greg Hitchcock said: "We've had a series of mild, wet winters and a very wet 2012, which does favour slugs.

"Without empirical data we can't say if there are definitely more slugs, but the conditions are right."

"I've definitely noticed an increase in the last few years. We didn't used used to get many in our garden because it's dry and windy, but I'm seeing more now" - Lucy Hewett

KentOnline's gardening expert Lucy Hewett says she has seen an increase in the number of slugs attacking her flowerbeds.

"I've definitely noticed an increase in the last few years. We didn't used used to get many in our garden because it's dry and windy, but I'm seeing more now.

"I've given up on hostas completely because they just destroy them."

There are several solutions to infestations, including chemical measures such as pellets, to more wildlife-friendly alternatives like beer traps.

And encouraging predators into your garden can also help control the numbers.

Mrs Hewett said: "Frogs and hedgehogs eat them; I always like to encourage wildlife into the garden because it has so many other benefits too.

"Slug pellets are still the tried and tested method, but you have to be careful about the effect they can have on other wildlife.

Of the hundreds of slug species in the UK only a few pose a problem for gardeners, according to Mr Hitchcock.

He said: "We've got quite a few native species only a few of which actually eat the sort of plants people grow in their gardens.

"Some species eat rotting vegetation, others eat plants people tend not to grow. There are even some that, rather unpleasantly, eat dog faeces."

Anti-slug measures:

• Slug pellets
• Copper rings around the base of plants
• Beer traps - jars sunk in the ground and half-filled with beer
• Spiky surfaces or gravel
• Encouraging wildlife predetors such as frogs, toads and hedgehogs