HEALTH chiefs are reminding Cumbrians to keep an eye out for ticks to avoid getting a debilitating illness.

Ticks are commonly found in woodland and moorland areas such as the Lake District.

They are small spider-shaped insects which feed on the blood of mammals and often carry an infection called Lyme disease, which can be passed on to people.

If bitten, people should keep an eye out for a red skin rash developing around the bite – said to be similar to the bullseye on a dartboard. And if one appears, people should go to see their GP.

Lyme disease is a bacterial infection which can cause joint swelling, muscle pain, a high temperature and even neuro-logical symptoms such as facial paralysis.

But if it is caught early it can be treated with antibiotics.

Ambleside fellrunner Chris Waters contracted the disease 12 months ago and was house-bound for six weeks.

He said: “I have had ticks from fell running, bushcraft and rock climbing so I’m not sure where I contracted it,” said Mr Waters.

“Symptoms vary massively because it depends on how the bacteria attacks your body. Initially, it’s flu-like symptoms but that doesn’t necessarily happen in all cases.”

Mr Waters said he had still not recovered and had heard of people having the disease for 22 years.

“I was fatigued, mentally and physically, to the extent where doing a ten-minute walk was all I could do in a day,” he said.

“I can have a normal day provided I don’t do anything energetic.”

Dr Nigel Calvert, NHS Cumbria’s associate director of public health, said: “Living in Cumbria it’s important that we’re all aware of what ticks and Lyme disease are and the importance of trying to avoid being bitten.

“We don’t want to cause unnecessary alarm, just deliver a simple reminder.

“If anyone is out for the day in a woodland or moorland area I’d ask that they just use a bit of common sense, cover up where possible and keep an eye out for ticks, and bites, particularly on pets, who could carry a tick into the home.”

Walkers can remove ticks from themselves or pets, but they need to do this carefully by gripping the tick as close to the skin as possible and pulling it away carefully using tweezers.