Warning after increase in venomous adders in South Downs

Adur and Worthing Councils are warning people to stay away if they see an adder in and around the South Downs.

It comes after an adder, the country’s only venomous snake, was filmed at Cuckmere Haven on Thursday, April 14.

An adder was spotted at Cuckmere Haven on Thursday, April 14

Dog warden Danielle Easen from Adur and Worthing Councils said that while adder attacks are rare, they will bite and administer venom if they feel threatened.

She said: “Adders don't really want to bite you or your dog as that uses up a lot of their energy, but if they feel threatened then they might bite and administer venom.

“Dogs tend to be bitten on their nose or on their legs, as they are either having a sniff too close or accidentally jump on them.

“If your dog is an inquisitive pup, and loves sniffing in bushes and running in the grass, it may be a good idea to keep them on a lead, or under very close control where you can see or anticipate any threat, before an accident occurs.”

Danielle said if a dog is bitten by an adder, owners should restrict their movement as much as possible and take them to the closest emergency vet.

Symptoms of an adder bite can include two puncture marks inside a swollen area, bleeding, bruising, lameness, vomiting and drooling and wobbly walking.

Adders are venomous snakes that can be found in a variety of habitats, including grassland, woodlands, heathlands and moorlands.

They tend to eat small mammals and some ground-nesting birds.

A spokesman for The Sussex Wildlife Trust said they can “be spotted basking in the sunshine in woodland glades and on heathlands”.

He said: “They spend the winter in hiding until the first days of spring when the earth starts to warm and the adders awaken.

“Males emerge first and will spend several weeks basking, often returning to the same spot each day.

“Most have a distinctive dark zigzag stripe along the length of their spine and are silvery-grey, while the larger females are brownish."