IT may sound like a low-budget horror movie, but the invasive Demon Shrimp could really be living in East Lancashire's waterways.

The Environment Agency has warned people using lakes, rivers, ponds, and canals across the north west to check their clothes and equipment after the aggressive invader was spotted in a Lancashire river for the first time.

MORE TOP STORIES:

Demon Shrimp are a non-native species, Dikerogammarus haemobaphes, given their nasty sounding nickname because of the larger size and combative behaviour compared to native shrimp.

They attack and eat Britain's native shrimp and insects, causing mayhem in the food chain and disrupting the dynamic of our rivers and lakes.

Experts believe the shrimp made their way from the Leeds Liverpool Canal into the River Douglas, where they were found, at Parbold Bridge.

They are now concerned they could travel further inland.

Kim Owen from the Environment Agency said: "Invasive shrimps such as this species present a major threat to ecology of our rivers and lakes, and we have a real battle on our hands to control their spread.

"The likelihood is that this species will now be widespread with any links to the Leeds Liverpool Canal and beyond through the canal network.

"We are urging everyone who uses England's waterways to be aware of the problem and help directly in the control of invasive species by adopting and following the 'check, clean, and dry' approach, and thoroughly cleaning and drying any fishing or boating equipment."

Demon Shrimp are native to south east Europe and were first reported outside its native range in 1955.

They live in freshwater, with the main difference between native shrimps and invasive ones being distinctive projections on the last few segments of the abdomen.

They have since spread across Western Europe and were first found in the UK in 2012 in the River Severn.

They are now a more widespread threat than the invasive Killer Shrimp, usually found around the Black Sea, Russia, which have previously posed a risk, and could result in marked ecological change of water bodies.

Experts fear their impact could be so hard felt, it could lead to native shrimp being completely wiped out.