Officials have issued a warning after detecting the UK's first outbreak of the eight-toothed spruce bark beetle. The foreign species ravages conifer Christmas trees such as spruce, pine and fur. Scroll down for videoThe spruce bark beetle (stock image) - which is known for ravaging Christmas Trees - was detected at a number of unnamed locations in the Ashford areaThe Forestry Commission identified the breeding population during routine checks. Nicola Spence, the UK Chief Plant Health Officer, said: 'An outbreak of the eight-toothed spruce bark beetle in an area of woodland in Kent has been confirmed. A Woodland Trust spokesman said: 'The spruce bark beetle is not a threat to human health but is a serious threat to spruce trees and can also affect pines and firs, which is of course worrying.

Source: Daily Mail December 07, 2018 17:20 UTC