Shoppers ran for cover as another massive swarm of bees invaded a Stoke-on-Trent town centre.

The flying insects were recorded filling the air on The Strand, in Longton, at around 12pm on yesterday afternoon (July 23).

The footage shows the bees buzzing around some hanging baskets.

Sarah Swift, who manages the SavannaTan tanning shop opposite, recorded the clip as people were 'running and screaming'. 

To keep herself, staff and customers safe, she also shut the doors and windows to prevent the bees from getting inside.

The 48-year-old, from Meir Heath, said: "There was a massive swarm of bees all around the shop and attacking the flowers, there must have been a good thousand of them.

"They moved up the road and they just appeared out of nowhere. Everybody was shutting the windows in their cars and people were running away.

Bees were recorded filling the air on The Strand, in Longton, at around 12pm on Tuesday afternoon
Bees were recorded filling the air on The Strand, in Longton, at around 12pm on Tuesday afternoon

"The bees were buzzing around for a good hour and people were running indoors or giving them a wide berth. It was just shocking, you could just see a dark swarm of bees. 

"Longton went really quiet really quickly while it was happening because nobody would walk past them. It needs to be sorted out, my son is here and he has an allergy to bees.

"It was very surreal, it was a bit like something out of a horror film. You could hear people screaming and see them running. It's not something you expect to happen. It was a bit scary."

Sunny Singh owns the Fish Net chippy next door.

The 38-year-old, from Birmingham, said: "There was a big swarm and it travelled up the road, they just spread out everywhere. A customer pointed it out to me and said 'look at all those bees'.

"Some people stopped and took pictures and others were running away across the road out of the way. I just closed all the windows and doors because you couldn't tell which way the bees were going to go for about half an hour.

Shoppers ran for cover as a swarm of bees filled the air on The Strand, in Longton
Shoppers ran for cover as a swarm of bees filled the air on The Strand, in Longton

"But now they have formed a nest on the hanging baskets, I've never seen anything like it before, it was a bit like a film. I just didn't want them to get inside."

And 31-year-old Toly Rai, who manages Subway on The Strand, from Trentham, said: "We just looked outside and there was loads of bees everywhere, it was crazy. 

"They've now formed a nest on the hanging baskets, one minute they were buzzing around everywhere and next minute they formed the nest. There were thousands of them. 

"A lot of people were taking pictures of them and filming it because they'd never seen anything like it before. It happened at around 12pm which is a busy period when people are leaving work to get their lunch." 

Staffordshire Wildlife Trust say the increase in bees may be because of the increase in temperature.  

The bees have now formed a nest on one of the hanging baskets in The Strand, Longton
The bees have now formed a nest on one of the hanging baskets in The Strand, Longton

A spokesman said: "I think to some extent it's the weather. I don't know of any feasible reason why there should be an increase in bees apart from very hot temperatures forcing them out of the nests. 

"This is also the time that the Queen bees will have matured and once they leave they take a swarm of bees with them. It may well be that this very warm temperature has led to them deciding to leave at the same time.

"But I don't know of one particular reason why there should be an increase in bee activity." 

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