HAY FEVER sufferers are being urged to stock up on their antihistamines and tissues as the pollen count is meant to be very high this week.

According to the Met Office, grass pollen is now in peak season which can wreak havoc on our sinuses.

The weather service provider added that there is a lot of weed pollen which is mainly nettle.

Fungal spores are at a medium risk across the North West.

What is hay fever?

Hay fever, or seasonal allergic rhinitis, is caused by pollen grains which are released by plants and grass.

Symptoms are worse between March and November when pollen season is in full swing.

Symptoms of hay fever include:

  • sneezing and coughing
  • a runny or blocked nose
  • itchy, red or watery eyes
  • itchy throat, mouth, nose and ears
  • loss of smell
  • pain around your temples and forehead
  • headache
  • earache
  • feeling tired

Hay fever in asthama sufferers

If you have asthma you might also be short of breath, have a cough and feel a tight feeling in your chest.

 Jessica Kirby, Head of Health Advice at Asthma UK and the British Lung Foundation, said:  

“This week’s toxic cocktail of high pollen levels, warm weather and thunderstorms poses a triple threat for people with asthma, putting them at greater risk of having a life-threatening asthma attack.

"Over three million people with asthma are affected by pollen, which can inflame their airways and trigger their asthma symptoms.

"Stormy weather can make this even worse, as it breaks the pollen into much smaller particles, which are then inhaled more deeply into the lungs."

She also offered some advice to asthma sufferers. 

Ms Kirby said: “People who have asthma that is triggered by pollen should take their preventer inhaler every day, as prescribed, alongside their usual hay fever medicines, to reduce the risk of hay fever triggering an asthma attack. 

"This reduces sensitivity and swelling in the airways, helping to prevent asthma symptoms such as wheezing and coughing before they even start."

For more advice on asthma and how hay fever may affect you visit: asthma.org.uk/pollen.

How to treat hay fever

Currently, there is no cure for hay fever- but the NHS has listed some ways to ease your symptoms.

They are:

  • put Vaseline around your nostrils to trap pollen
  • wear wraparound sunglasses to stop pollen getting into your eyes
  • shower and change your clothes after you have been outside to wash pollen off
  • Stay indoors whenever possible
  • keep windows and doors shut as much as possible
  • Vacuum regularly and dust with a damp cloth
  • Buy a pollen filter for the air vents in your car and a vacuum cleaner with a HEPA filter

The Pollen Forecast in Blackburn with Darwen

The Met Office’s pollen count monitoring network combines Met Office weather data with expertise from organisations such as the National Pollen and Aerobiological Unit to produce pollen forecasts for five days ahead across the whole of the UK.

Here is the full pollen forecast in Blackburn with Darwen up until Friday:

Tuesday 15 June
Pollen count: Very high

Wednesday 16 June
Pollen count: Very High

Thursday 17 June
Pollen count: Medium

Friday 18 June
Pollen count: High

The Met Office has also issued a yellow weather warning for thunderstorms across the region.