A GIRL aged eight was rushed to hospital yesterday after being bitten by a snake on cliffs at Whitsand Bay.

Lifeguards at Tregonhawke Beach were approached by the girl's mother at about midday when her daughter's finger became swollen after being bitten by a snake.

Ice and water were used to treat the finger and the swelling went down.

The girl seemed fine so she carried on playing on the beach, but about half an hour later, the girl's whole hand became swollen and she complained of feeling dizzy.

Oxygen was given to the girl, from Plymouth, and a paramedic was called to the scene.

Ambulance personnel took the girl and her mother to Derriford Hospital.

Anthony Thorpe, an RNLI lifeguard who was at the scene, said he believed the girl was bitten by a 10-inch grass snake.

"She may have had a reaction to the bite which caused the swelling and the shock of it had caused the dizziness," he said.

He added that the girl had been playing in the grass at the top of the cliff and tried to pick up the snake.

A spokesman for the South Western Ambulance Service said: "We received a call after reports of an eight-year-old girl being bitten by a snake at the location.

"Lifeguards were first on the scene and called us in. We dispatched a rapid response vehicle from Torpoint.

"As a precaution, she was taken to Derriford Hospital."

The spokesman said the prolonged dry periods this summer had led to a rise in the number of reported snake bites and wasp stings across Plymouth and the South West.

"The rise in snake bites and wasp stings has been noticeable this year," he said.