Lyme disease spreading ticks have been found in Richmond and Bushy Parks.
Researchers from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine studied four London parks and found the ticks in Richmond and Bushy Parks but no evidence of the pests in Wimbledon Common or Hampton Court.
Humans are infected with the disease through the bite of a tick carrying the bacteria and there is no vaccine available.
Symptoms including muscle pain and weakness, a “bulls eye” rash on the skin and serious illness follow an incubation period of between two days and three-and-a-half months.
Most of the infected ticks in Richmond Park were found in bordering woodland, and the rest in open grassland, which are the types of vegetation most frequented by the public.
Dr James Logan, senior lecturer at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said the overall risk of Lyme disease in the parks is very low but precautions should be taken.
He said: “Check yourself and your pets after frequenting parkland areas, and remove any ticks as quickly as possible using a tick removal tool.
“To minimise the risk stick to footpaths and wear an insect repellent.”
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