Awful August makes Britain's mosquitoes buzz off as biting weather is too cold for them

Experts predicted record numbers of the annoying insects this year after a wet summer in 2007 and a mild winter combined to create perfect breeding conditions.

But, after a surge of biting people in June and July, August’s chilly temperatures are believed to have killed off large numbers.

Relief: Mosquito bites have fallen by 14% thanks to August's chilly temperatures

In June, NHS Direct recorded 3,382 calls from bite victims compared with 3,090 during the same period in 2007.

Calls increased further in July, with 4,724 complaints compared to 3,993 last year.

However, August has seen a 14 per cent drop - 3,119 bites compared with 3,646 the year before.

Ann Green, a spokesman for NHS Direct, said: ‘The reasons for the increase and then sudden drop in the figures are related to the weather.

‘In June and July it could be that more people stayed in the UK holidaying and were bitten.

‘The figures are an accurate reflection of how many mosquitoes there have been in the UK over the last few months.’

The Chartered Institute of Environmental Health have also recorded no new species of mosquitoes travelling to the UK in August - another sign that cool temperatures have kept them away.

Policy officer Bob Mayho said: ‘This is a great sign that fewer mosquitoes are around at a time when they traditionally cause a problem for people.

‘They can be a major irritant but now there’s definitely nothing to worry about with them.

‘Although there are fewer complaints in this country, people must be careful that when they travel abroad they don’t bring diseases back.’