Kent and London look set to be invaded by more wasps than ever this summer - and deadly ants look set to get in on the action too.

A cold winter and mild spring, with a warmer-than-average temperatures forecast for summer, means that Britain can expect to see a huge increase in wasps nests and ant colonies over the coming months, experts have warned.

According to the British Pest Control Association, the number of wasps in the UK shot up by around 87 per cent last year compared to 2013.

Bromley Council received a huge 632 complaints from 2013 to 2014, compared with 115 the previous year.

Bexley Council recorded 238 complaints from 2013 to 2014, compared to just 78 reports the year before.

Normally wasp swarms do not become a issue until August or September, but warm temperatures could see a sharp rise in their numbers far sooner than expected.

Rob Simpson, leader of independent pest controllers register Basis Prompt is expecting a surge in complaints in 2015.

He said: "The annual wasp population in the UK is very much dependent on weather conditions.

"The number of nests seemed to be down significantly in 2013, but there was a substantial increase last year when numbers returned to something like normal.

"Colder winters often mean there are more wasps about the following summer as mated queens spend the period deep in hibernation.

"If it's milder in December and January, wasps become restless and use up their food reserves. They then have nothing left to forage on, so they die.

A wasp nest

"This year, temperatures were relatively cold during the winter and have so far been warm in spring, so we're expecting our members to receive a deluge of calls."

Ants look set to become a problem too with experts warning sun worshippers to watch out for deadly pharaoh ants.

A Pharoah ant. Picture: antweb.org

Tom Frost, of Pure Pest Management, told the Daily Mirror: "The biggest problem will be the wasps – but the ones you really don't want are pharaoh ants.

"When people use standard ant poison, the worker ants send messages to warn others that they are under attack. The colony then splits up to survive."

Pharaoh ants originate in the tropics and can spread potentially fatal infections including typhoid and dysentery.