Killer shrimps invading Britain

Killer shrimps invading Britain

The British government have warned that killer shrimps are invading the country.

Parliament's green watchdog has highlighted the alleged threat from creatures such as Japanese knotweed, North American signal crayfish, zebra mussels and killer shrimp, claiming they are invading the United Kingdom's ecosystems and damaging British plants, animals and even human health.

The Environmental Audit Committee heard that killer shrimp, or dikerogammarus villosus, can grow up to just 3 centimetres long but get their name from the fact that they kill plants and other species even when they do not need to eat.

Other ''alien species'' which have affected British agriculture include rhododendrons and grey squirrels, which cause approximately £10 million worth of damage to woodlands every year.