HAMPSHIRE walkers have been urged to beware 'super ticks' carrying a new form of Lyme disease.

Scientists say they have found a new illness similar to the disease which is spread by ticks and feared to be resistant to current Lyme disease antibiotics.

And their studies have revealed its presence in the south of England.

And the New Forest is one of the worst areas for ticks with woods, heathland and deer making it a perfect environment for the insects.

There are already three types of bacteria associated with Lyme disease - Borellia burgdorferi, Borellia garinii and Borrelia afzelii.

This new strain of bacteria, Borellia miyamotoi, has been found in some of the 954 ticks that were tested at various sites across southern England.

Researchers at the Public Health laboratory in Porton Down, Wiltshire found three carrying the bacteria.

The as yet unnamed illness causes headaches, fatigues and muscle ache and a recurrent fever that returns even when it appears to have been cured.

It is also thought to be less responsive to the antibiotics used in tick-borne bacteria cases.

While there have been no reports of humans being affected by this new illness, 18 patients were diagnosed with the condition in America in 2013.

Official estimates for Lyme disease in England and Wales are of around 3,000 cases of Lyme Disease, but Lyme Disease Action claims in reality it could be as high as 15,000.

Confirmed cases have risen from 268 in 2001 to 1,100 in 2013.

One in four ticks carries the bacteria Borrelia, which causes Lyme disease - a potentially fatal illness which can lead to fever, heart trouble and even meningitis.