Tiny white 'Stranger Things' flies swarming over Doncaster being mistaken for snow

The creatures, which measure less than one millimetre in length, seem to fly directly in people’s faces, causing some to fear they’ve swallowed them.

Other residents have mistaken them for ash, blossom or even snowfall while some have likened the swarms to the ‘upside down’ in hit TV series Stranger Things.

There have been numerous incidents of people posting about the flies swarming across Doncaster in recent days.

The creatures, simply called Whitefly, are out in force all over the UK at the moment, particularly during sunny weather.

They are a relative of the sap-sucking aphid (greenfly) and though they love feeding off plants, they seem to be attracted to shiny cars and people’s coats.

Whiteflies are completely harmless to people but can be a pest in gardens, where they will gorge on the underside of leaves, with a particular preference for cabbages and other types of brassicas.

It is thought that the hot weather the UK saw this summer created the perfect breeding conditions for them.

The good news, according to the Royal Horticultural Society, is that the glut of bugs creates a source of food for other food chain enhancing insects, such as ladybirds, lacewings, wasps and spiders, that all help control pests.

But In warm climates and particularly in greenhouses, whiteflies present major problems in crop protection. They can also excrete a sticky substance (honeydew), which allows the growth of “sooty moulds,” say experts.

There are around eight species of Whitefly found in Britain.