Giant Spanish slugs again flooded gardens in the UK: photos

Hungry giant Spanish slugs have launched a new offensive against British gardens - 11 years after they first arrived here.

Experts say the slimy Mediterranean invertebrates started appearing on wet lawns in April this year after hibernating during the recent hot weather. Now they are looking for a mate and enjoying a delicious meal, the Daily Star reports.

The invasion comes 11 years after the species first made headlines after being discovered by scientists in Norwich.

Experts have blamed the recent surge in Spanish slugs on the wet weather that followed a prolonged heatwave.

Paul Hetherington of the conservation organization Buglife said: "Now the Spanish slugs need to get out and eat. When it's dry and hot - similar to hibernation - they go into a dormant state and burrow into the ground as far as they can reach and switch off."

Local gardeners and farmers are being warned about the return of the Spanish slug (Arion vulgaris), which can grow up to 15 cm in length and lay 200 to 400 eggs.

Back in 2012, it was reported that a plague of "super-slugs" had arrived in the UK from Spain, traveling with imported salads and flowers.

In addition, as it turned out, hedgehogs began to get sick on a massive scale because of slugs. They consume them in large quantities and often become infected with parasites in this way.