HAY fever sufferers in Winchester are to get a helping hand this summer from monitoring equipment installed in the city to keep an eye on pollen levels.

environment bosses at Winchester City Council have agreed to take part in a national scheme to track pollen levels across the UK, allowing predictions to be made of where and when the worst effects will be felt.

With the grass pollen season about

to start, staff from the council's environmental health department will be counting pollen figures on a daily basis before passing the data over to the National Pollen Research Unit at Worcester University.

That information will then be used to prepare national pollen forecasts to be broadcast through the national media.

Launching the latest service, Council-lor Jim Wagner, said: "While we perm-anently monitor air pollution levels throughout the year, we know that hay fever sufferers find the summer months particularly difficult and their health can often be adversely affected.

"We hope that by supporting the national campaign and providing local information, we can help alleviate their

symptoms as much as possible."

Details on the latest pollen counts are available on www.pollenforecast.org.