A WEST Kilbride man has issued a warning to walkers and gardeners after a tick left him hospitalised and unable to walk.

Alan Dapre received a string of bites while in his garden, and despite removing it quickly, developed a serious infection that needed emergency treatment.

The author believes he was bitten as he was clearing ivy and leaf litter, one place where ticks like to live.

He said: “When I came in at the end of the day, I noticed I had four bites, the giveaway was a little black dot in the centre of them.

“I thought I’ll keep an eye on them but before I knew it the bites had got bigger and over the next few days they grew and got quite painful and sore.

“My issue was that I got a bacterial infection, over the next week it caused the bites to really swell and a rash started moving down my leg.”

Eventually, after being prescribed antibiotics by the doctor, Alan was forced to go to the hospital after the pain became so bad he could not walk on his leg.

He said: “I was worried about Lyme Disease, but actually it was the infection that caused me the issues.

“If I’d been more sensible and worn appropriate clothing and taken more care I wouldn’t have been bitten.

“People are going off the beaten track a little bit because they don’t want to bump into other people.”

With the coronavirus pandemic dominating the health agenda, Alan wants to remind people that ticks can be a problem as the hot weather begins, and to take precautions when outside.

He said: “The moral of this is to not go out without any protection, use insect repellent and cover up your skin.

“You have to be quite aware of it, it’s about being educated."

Ticks are small, spider-like creatures that latch onto exposed skin as you walk through long grass or wooded areas, and can transmit Lyme Disease in some cases, however bacterial infections are most common.

The best way to remove ticks is to buy a removal tool, which means you can easily twist it out of your skin and not leave the head in.

Alan says that he will take more care in the future and is encouraging others to protect themselves when outside.

He said: “When I’m gardening, I’ll make sure that I’m completely covered up from now on, I don’t want to risk another trip to A&E.

“I held back ringing the doctor because I didn’t think this was a real emergency, but if you feel that you’re ill or you’ve got an infection then you do have to ring a professional.”