Watch out when camping near rivers in the UK, especially in the south. There's a nasty little varmint called the Blandford Fly - OK, it's also the name of a special brew of beer too, but the insect came first, judge how the beer got its name......

It's small, dark grey/black and looks like a common wine fly. Its' bite is pain out of all proportion to the insect, and instead of swelling, itching, going down and stopping hurting, it will swell, go red, go blotchy and hard for an area up to 6-8 inches across, the point of entry will get blistery, if you scratch it even slightly it will itch like buggery four times worse than previously, and it will pustulate and turn into a gaping wound if you are not careful. Even if you are careful, it lasts around 3 weeks longer than your average mozzy nip, and feels like a bruise for longer than that....

It was discovered on the banks of the Stour near Blandford, Dorset, hence the name. The beer is brewed by Hall and Woodhouse, whose brewery is nearby in Blandford.

LTS