One of the country's rarest bees has been spotted in Kent.

Zookeepers from The Fenn Bell Conservation Project, in Hoo, caught the Shrill Carder Bee while completing their surveys on the Isle of Grain this month.

They have been carrying out walks on behalf of the Bumblebee Conservation Trust to record sightings and identify the bees they find.

The data is then used to produce a yearly assessment of how well the bumblebees are doing and for ecological research.

Amy Furrents, who has worked at the zoo for around four years, said: “It was not the usual find and we thought it looked different to the other bumblebees we saw.

“It was not until we went to identify it after that we realised we had caught it. It was exciting.”

A spokesman for The Fenn Bell Conservation Project added: “We are extremely pleased with one of our latest finds. The rare Shrill Carder Bee.

“A species in decline that is now only found in a few areas of the country.”

The British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums (BIAZA) also congratulated them on their find.

Shrill Carder Bees are only known to be found in seven areas across South England and South Wales and are generally scarce even there.

It is a pale grey-yellow coloured species and has an orange tail and a clear black band across its thorax.

They also have a noticeably high-pitched buzz.

The Shrill Carder Bee has been seen in Kent before and last year was seen for the first time on the Swanscombe Peninsula.

Last month, Kent County Council's (KCC) scheme to encourage householders to become more “bee friendly” won a significant government award, the Bees' Needs Champion.

It was given the accolade for its work in supporting the endangered insects by sympathetic vegetation cutting and careful land management.

The creatures are in serious decline worldwide because of climate change, habitat loss and disease.