A "colossal" wasp nest the size of a "barrel" with a tunnel attached has been found in the attic of a house.

The homeowner near Corby discovered the one-metre wide nest (3.2ft) while renovating the property, which had been empty for two years, as reported in the Northampton Chronicle.

The company said the nest was "rare" not only because of its size, but because the wasps had built an "intricate tunnel from the nest to the outside" which was perfectly preserved.

The tunnel itself measures about 1.4m (4.5ft).

Mr Wilkinson estimates anything from 6,000 to 10,000 wasps could have called the nest their home.

Fortunately for the homeowner and pest control team, the nest had "gone to its full life-cycle" and there was nothing left alive in it.

"We'd certainly not be that close to something that size – even in a bee suit – if we thought it was still being used," Mr Wilkinson said.

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