Fresh fears Britain will be overrun with bee-killing Asian hornets as huge winged critter is spotted eating a WASP

A SUSPECTED Asian hornet was spotted tearing apart and eating a WASP outside a pub in Bristol.

The winged predator - whose species is notorious for eating honey bees - was thought to be part of a colony that has flown over from France.

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A spokesman from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has since claimed the huge insect was actually a European hornet, and not one of the Asian hornets which has  been spotted in Tetbury, Gloucestershire.

Unsettling photos show the critter flicking its prey's body around while devouring its flesh.

Jeremy Sidders, from Bristol, captured the shocking images on his mobile phone.

His friend Chris Summers also saw the hornet eating the wasp, and said: "I knew hornets attacked bees but I didn't realise they attacked wasps as well.

"He's a big old beast.

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"Everyone was quite surprised to see one just sitting on a post."

Specialist hornet-killing squads have now been sent to Gloucestershire to eradicate non-native Asian hornets which can grow up to 2.5cm long.

The insects first arrived in France in 2004 and it has long been feared they might make the trip to our shores.

It is thought they will not be able to survive in the north of the UK because of cold temperatures.

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The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is anxious of the potential impact they could have on Britain's bee population.

Asian hornets do not pose a threat to humans unless disturbed.

The UK is already home to European hornets which don't have the same fearsome reputation as their Asian cousins, but can still inflict a painful sting and bite.

They do not tangle with humans as often as wasps because, unlike wasps, they do not like our food.

Instead they eat other insects.

Disturbing a hornets' nest can be extremely dangerous as up to 700 insects will join in an attack on any perceived threat.

They build nests in tree trunks, bushes, the sides of buildings, barns, attics and in hollow walls.

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