SCIENTISTS are warning of an outbreak of a new breed of 'monster slugs' which could be set to take over gardens and gobble crops.
The Spanish slugs - which feast on smaller slugs - can survive many of the pellets that usually kill their English brethren.
The recent spell of hot weather is being blamed for providing perfect breeding conditions to see numbers double this summer.
Record numbers of slugs are also chomping on more plants than usual thanks to recent humid weather and a mild winter helping to boost crop growth.
Researchers say an army of the oversized 'monster slug' gastropods have hit the country.
The pests, which feast on dead matter and dog excrement, are said to be particularly hardy and able to devour up to 20 slug pellets before they even start to show the effects.
Dr Ian Bedford, head of entomology at the John Innes Centre in Norwich, first encountered the slugs in East Anglia in 2012.
He counted 350 of them in just one day and when he saw some eating a dead mouse he decided to send samples for identification.
Researchers received a number of sightings of the beasts in April last year, but a sudden cold snap either killed many off or slowed down their breeding.
However, it is feared that the current warm period is set to spark a breeding frenzy of the monsters.
Dr Bedford said: "With the mild winter climate and the conditions we have seen in the spring, we are expecting them to make a comeback this year.
"I am starting to find a few dozen in the garden already."
Allan Cavill of National Allotment Society added: "It is much better to water [plants] in the morning.
"That allows water to evaporate away before the slugs are active.
"The worst time to water is at night."
