Hay fever suffers across Scotland, be prepared to have allergy medication on hand as pollen rates are set to rise across the country.

The Met Office is issuing a ‘high’ pollen forecast for Scotland south of Grampian and The Highlands.

This means there will be an increased amount of grass pollen airborne on warm, dry sunny days.

It comes after many places across the country were met with strong wind and wet weather last week.

But now with the sun out and a heatwave expected for much of the upcoming week, pollen levels are set to be very high for the next week.

Conditions are expected to continue until Friday, June 17 with pollen levels remaining high for a while after.

Central Fife Times: (Met Office screengrab)(Met Office screengrab)

A Met Office spokesperson said: "Grass and nettle pollen risk will rise substantially in warm weather. Spores: Cladosporium in warm, dry weather."

In a tweet shared by the weather forecaster, they said: "Pollen counts remain very high across England and Wales this week, but lower values are expected for parts of Scotland and Northern Ireland.”

What is a pollen allergy?

According to the Met Office, pollen is made up of very small particles that are released by plants and trees as part of their reproductive cycle.

It is an extremely fine powder and is spread by insects and the wind.

Pollen can cause significant irritation and inflammation in people who are allergic to it and can be inhaled by both humans and animals.

 For those with an allergy, pollen triggers the antibody immunoglobulin E, which creates mucus and leads to symptoms such as congestion and sneezing.

How to reduce Hay fever symptoms

Keep windows and doors closed

As the weather gets warmer, you might be tempted to open a window or a door to let some fresh air in, however, this gives pollen an easy way into your home.

Increase light cleaning

Regularly dusting your blinds can help you out during pollen season

Stay on top of the laundry

You can reduce trapped pollen sticking to your bedding by washing it once a week and by washing your clothes when you’ve been outside.

Remove pollen from your skin

It's important that you cleanse your skin to clean the pollen off your skin.

You can find the Met Office pollen count near you on the website here.