Booming numbers of mosquitoes have forced pharmacies on Sheppey to order emergency stocks of bite medicines.

Lots of Islanders have complained about being bitten, which has led to a run on antihistamines, creams and sprays, much higher than normally expected for this time of year.

Patricia Nicholson, of Prince Charles Avenue, Minster, tried pharmacies in Sheppey and Sittingbourne, to no avail, when two large bites came up on her hand.

The 71-year-old said: “They came up like large blisters and they were so painful.”

John Crockford, of Kent Avenue, Minster, found thousands of larvae and adult mosquitoes in his garden’s water butt after he and his wife were “getting eaten alive”.

He used insect spray and poured a half teaspoon of vegetable oil, which stops the larvae getting to the surface, on the water after finding advice online.

The 64-year-old said: “It is now my opinion that, due to the water companies having a hosepipe ban earlier in the year, more and more people went out and bought water butts.

“A water butt is like a stagnant pond to a mosquito and with thousands of butts or ponds being installed the situation can only get worse.”

Mosquitoes are being linked to a fatal outbreak of myxomatosis among rabbits.

Zoe Jeffrey, registered vet nurse at Wellpets Animal Hospital, Sheerness, said the centre has had to put down about 10 rabbits in the last month.

Vet Sharon Alston said she has had to put down seven rabbits this week with the disease whereas it would normally be two or three cases a month.

She advised pet owners to have their animals vaccinated, purchase fly repelling drops and cover hutches in mosquito nets.

A spokesman for the Health Protection Agency said: “The HPA has had several reports this year from various areas in the UK to do with biting nuisance from mosquitoes.

“With the current weather, water-flooded habitats in many areas would provide a good environment for certain species of mosquito to develop, so there are probably more mosquitoes around, although not all species actually bite humans – some only bite animals.

“The public can take steps to make sure they reduce any biting nuisance, in their own gardens for instance, such as not leaving stagnant water lying around in pots and paddling pools.

“These are good habitats for mosquitoes.”

Manu Mistry, pharmacist at Mistry Chemist, Wood Street, Sheerness, said the surge in people buying mosquito products is the largest he has seen in nearly 29 years serving the Island.

He advised people to use antihistamines if bitten and to apply repellant if they venture out in the afternoon.

Syed Alam, pharmacist at Halfway Pharmacy, has had to make a special order this month.

He said: “A lot of people were querying these bites. Quite a few people came in swollen and quite bad, especially in the last two or three weeks.

“It has never, ever been like that before, I have never seen so many.”

Deepak Wadhwani, of Payden’s, Sheerness, estimated there has been a 70% increase in sales this year.

He added: “We have sold a lot more than usual. Yesterday we had one repellant left on the shelf.”