A historic riverside town is under attack from a plague of blood-sucking mosquitoes, according to fed-up residents.

People in Sandwich complain they are suffering from swarms of the biting insects - with one parent saying its left her daughter looking like she has chicken pox.

Now they are urging Dover District Council (DDC) to spray the banks of the River Stour, where the mosquitoes breed, or find other remedies to get rid of them.

The authority admits there is a "noticeable population" of mosquitoes in Sandwich, which is the only place in the district where it routinely has to carry out spraying to kill the larvae.

Responding to complaints across the town about the problem, district councillor Dan Friend agrees the mosquitoes are "particularly potent" this year.

Writing on the Sandwich Kent Facebook page, he says: "I have been approached by a number of residents regarding these particularly undesirable critters.

"I am therefore liaising with the council's environmental protection regarding additional inspections and remedial action."

He says officers are currently attending a variety of sites in the town to look for the mosquito larvae.

The problem has been a big topic of discussion on local social media groups.

"My eldest has been bitten badly through her leggings and looks like she has chicken pox there’s so many," writes one resident.

"A few of us got bitten quite badly at bowls club in an evening game," says Darren Finnis. "Dragon flies turned up in numbers eating the mosquitoes. Never seen it before."

Jan Cooper told KentOnline it has become "awful" for dog walkers.

"I see and hear so many complaints about these pesky things that I hope the council will do something about it..."

"A friend and I both carry 'mozzie executioner racquets' to bat them away," she said.

"I see and hear so many complaints about these pesky things that I hope the council will do something about it."

Lyn Groombridge suggests that encouraging bats with more nesting boxes could be a solution.

"They will help keep pesky flies and other bugs at bay," she says

"The most common UK bat, the common Pipistrelle can eat up to 2,000 mosquitoes a night."

On its website, DDC says no treatment can be undertaken between April 30 and September 1, to reduce the impact on flora and fauna.

It is limited to three times a year - in the autumn, winter and spring. Under Natural England guidelines, it can only take place if agreed "trigger levels" are reached during monitoring of mosquito larvae.

A DDC spokesman told KentOnline: "We are aware of recent concerns, and in addition to our regular seasonal larvae monitoring, additional surveys have been carried out this week. Very low larvae numbers were recorded.

"There is therefore currently no justification to spray as there is a negligible larvae population.

"Although mosquitoes are almost everywhere within our district, there is a noticeable population of mosquitoes in Sandwich.

"If residents have evidence of where mosquito larvae are, they are welcome to contact us, and we can investigate the matter."