Invading killer shrimps damage water habitats

Dubbed the “killer shrimp” by biologists for its appetite, it often kills its prey and leaves it uneaten.

The predator also alters the ecology of habitats it invades.

North West water provider United Utilities says a new fishing craze from the US is behind the spread of the crustacean. Anglers are using “floating tubes” – looking like oversized children’s swimming rings – to fish on water.

The tubes, which are easily transported, are thought to be helping the species spread by transferring eggs between rivers and other watercourses such as reservoirs.

United Utilities has banned the use of floating tubes at all its reservoirs across the North West.

It is believed the shrimp arrived in the UK from Eastern Europe on the hulls of ships.