A MUM has spoken of her ‘absolute terror’ after her home became infested with blood-sucking ticks.

Kimberley Whitehead, from Accrington, had been on a walk with her dog Justin when she discovered a tick burrowing in her leg last weekend.

She made the horrifying discovery after she went walking in Laund Clough and the disused railway lines in Baxenden.

Within days of the discovery, Ms Whitehead was shocked to discover her dog and home were riddled with the parasites which can cause Lyme disease, a serious neurological illness.

Ms Whitehead and Justin now face an anxious three-month wait to see if they have been infected.

Ms Whitehead wants walkers in the area to be vigilant of ticks and be aware of the potential risks.

She said: “On the Friday evening, I found a tick burrowing into my leg and didn’t know what it was.

“I managed to get it out with some tweezers but I went down to the walk-in centre in Accrington the following day.

“They gave me some antibiotics and I thought that was it.

“But then a few day later, my daughter discovered a tick when she was stroking our dog Justin.

“So we took him to the vets to get it removed and she said he would have to be sedated.

“Then the next day, we went back and I was shocked to be told that 85 ticks were found on him and would have to be removed.”

The 38-year-old said she was given a urine sample jar with the ticks in which she is going to send to be tested.

Things then got worse for Ms Whitehead when she discovered 50 dead ticks in the bathroom of her home and in other areas of the house.

Ms Whitehead said she even had to call a pest control team to remove the ticks and had to temporarily move her young daughter Alana out of her home as a precautionary measure.

She added: “It’s been horrendous and an absolutely terrifying experience.

"Now myself and Justin are taking antibiotics and are waiting to see if we've been infected with Lyme disease.

“I would appeal to dog walkers to be vigilant and be aware of ticks with it being the summer months

“ So people need to be alert and make sure they brush themselves and their pet down before entering the home.

“Also, people shouldn’t just use treatment for fleas but ticks too.”