MORE and more people from Worcester are feeling the effects of hay fever.

High Street store Boots has reported a 146 per cent increase in sales of hay fever remedies compared with last year, suggesting that many people are trying to cope with runny noses and itchy eyes.

Boots estimates that 28,000 people in Worcester now suffer from hay fever and more than 8,000 of them developed their symptoms as adults.

The National Pollen and Aerobiology Research Unit, based at the University of Worcester, St John's, monitors pollen levels throughout the year.

Senior researcher Beverley Adams-Groom said pollen counts at the end of May could be skewed by grass pollen, which affected sufferers in different ways.

The pollen count in Worcester is expected to peak during June.

However, Mrs Adams-Groom said it would depend on the weather.

"It can change very quickly," she said.

"For example, 2004 was a low year because there was a lot of rain but in recent years the count has been quite severe because it was dry. All being well, we will get two weeks of a high count in the middle of June and then drop back down."

Gareth Griffiths, who used to live in Worcester, says his symptoms have got a lot worse since he moved to London five years ago.

Mr Griffiths, formerly of Northwick Road, Worcester, now suffers from sneezing, sore eyes and a runny nose every summer.

"Maybe it is because I work right in the centre of town or because I live in Clapham, which is quite a leafy area, I'm not sure," said the 28-year-old.

"It can be a really nice day but then you feel it in the air. A lot of people think hay fever is a bit of a joke.

"I don't have it that bad but I know some people who are pretty much paralysed by it."