KEEN gardeners are warning of ravenous caterpillars that could “decimate” gardens across Southend.

Gareth Allen, who has worked as a gardener in the Thorpe Bay and Leigh areas for more than 25 years, said he had seen numerous cases of box tree caterpillars which can completely destroy box plants, a common shrub used for hedges.

The green menaces are born from eggs laid by box tree moths, which originate from Asia, have been spreading across areas of the UK in recent years, with 3,000 reported in 2018.

Mr Allen, 48, said he has attended at least three jobs in the past two weeks where massive damage has been caused.

He said: “When I came across the first one, I thought it was a one-off, the hedge had been completely eaten down and it was dying.

“But then there was another case, and then a third, several have sprung up in the area of Leigh.

“If they begin to really spread, they will decimate people’s gardens. It’s not just a case of them eating the leaves, they will literally kill off full box plants within weeks.

“I know a lot of people will spend thousands of pounds on their gardens and the plants, and these box tree caterpillars are going to rip through people’s lives, gardens and pockets.

“I’ve worked as a gardener for 25 years and this is definitely the worst I’ve ever seen it. If people don’t know how to tackle them, or know how much damage they can cause, they’re going to destroy so much.”

Wendy Straderick, a garden designer based in Wickford, also reported incidents of the caterpillars in the area.Via her business Wendy’s Grand Gardens, she wrote: “People need to be prepared to deal with these as they can seriously damage your box plants very quickly.

“Look for tell-tale signs of small closely knit cobwebs, spun by caterpillars to protect from predators, spray inside the box plants every two weeks from spring to autumn, and use a moth trap to catch the adult males. Don’t wait until you have a problem. Eggs will be laid over the winter on the underside of the leaves ready to hatch into masses of hungry caterpillars in the spring.”