Tick bites & Lyme disease
Woodlands and parks with deer such as Richmond Park and Bushy Park can attract ticks.
Ticks are small creatures, related to spiders and mites, that feed on the blood of animals and sometimes people. Ticks can survive in many places but prefer slightly moist, shady areas such as bracken, bushes and leaf litter. They can be found in both long and short grass. Ticks can't jump or fly, so they have to wait until an animal (or human) brushes past to attach to their skin. The tick population peaks between late spring and autumn (April to October).
Lyme disease or Lyme borreliosis, is a bacterial infection spread by infected ticks. Human infection is uncommon, because only a small proportion of ticks have the infection. However, those ticks that may carry Lyme disease are common in the countryside, especially woodlands and parks with deer, such as Richmond Park and Bushy Park.
Please see the Government advice on tick bites and the prevention of Lyme disease for more information.