Farmers in Wantage are being advised to take steps to prevent sheep being infected by blowflies.

Last month, a farmer in the area reported his sheep had been affected -- the first case in Oxfordshire this summer.

The blowfly is a ectoparasite which lays eggs in the sheep which rapidly multiply and can affect wool quality and lead to death.

Preventative treatments, including dips and liquid applications which give up to 16 weeks' protection from the parasite, are available.