PEST controller Bob Nightingale couldn't believe his ears when a customer called him to deal with wasps.

"This is the earliest I can remember being called out to deal with wasps," said Mr Nightingale, who owns Andover Pest Control.

"The explanation must be that we've had such a mild January that some of the queens have come out early only to find winter on them."

Normally he would not expect to deal with wasps until May and he would not be busy until later on in the summer.

The wasps appea-red at the home of Mr Ken Lonergan, who is renovating a house he is moving into in Hurstbourne Tarrant.

Mr Nightingale said there was no point going out to remove nests beca-use the queens were now out and about - and they would in any case probably have died in the current cold snap.

For the full story see Friday's Andover Advertiser.