Fears a dangerous caterpillar might be crawling the streets of Castle Point were today put to rest.

Jo Body, of High Road, Benfleet, was horror-struck when she found the black hairy beasts hatching from chrysalises on her neighbour's tree.

The 33-year-old mum was terrified the creatures could be the dreaded brown tail moth caterpillars after reading a warning article in the Evening Echo.

The poisonous insects are known to cause a horrible rash if tiny hairs from their bodies come into contact with a person's skin and they can also spark asthma and hay fever attacks.

However, the borough council's director of health and housing Alan Longford said the beasties in Mrs Body's garden were only ermine caterpillars and quite harmless.

He said: "These ermine caterpillars do create a similar web over trees but they do not cause allergic reactions."

Published Monday, June 16, 2003

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