News has spread of record-breaking pollen counts set to hit the country - making life pretty miserable for millions of hay fever sufferers.
The condition affects around 20 per cent of Brits, with symptoms ranging from sneezing and a runny nose to loss of smell, headaches and tiredness.
Experts warned people to expect unusually high spring pollen levels, with the "highest pollen counts in 70 years" in the UK this week due to a delay in trees’ pollen release, reports the Mirror.
Dr Beverley Adams-Groom, chief pollen forecaster at the National Pollen and Aerobiology Research Unit at the University of Worcester, said: “We expect to see tree pollen reaching a high level in the context of our records going back as far as 1951.”
Dr Adams-Groom added: “Birch pollen will rise to high during dry, sunny weather this week in all areas apart from the far north of England and Scotland.
“Ash pollen will continue to be airborne at a moderate risk too. Other types low."
But, while Scotland may narrowly avoid the spike this week, Edinburgh's pollen is set to soar from next Monday.
Allergen reports on The Weather Channel are already indicating that there is going to high levels of tree pollen in the capital on Monday and Tuesday.
While it will be near impossible to avoid the pollen altogether, there is tricks to minimising the impact, including wearing wrap-around sunglasses, closing windows and doors and washing after being outside.
