A FARMER died after being repeatedly stung by a swarm of wasps while cutting grass.

Mark Evison, 47, had been clearing a dyke on farmland in Ellerker, near South Cave, when he disturbed a wasp nest.

In a plea for help, he phoned his brother, saying "the wasps have got me", before he collapsed and died.

According to the Office for National Statistics, just four people die each year in the UK from wasp, hornet and bee stings.

Mr Evison's brother Paul, 50, said: "I had been at a friend's house in the village, where I had tea, when Mark rang.

"He said, 'the wasps have got me. I don't feel very well, Paul'.

"I shot round and found Mark sat on a chair.

"I asked him if I should call a doctor, but he told me he just wanted to sit there. He fell unconscious. I rang 999."

An ambulance crew arrived quickly at Croft Garth Farm, in Mill Hill, shortly before 6pm on Sunday and administered an adrenalin injection.

But Mr Evison, who was not married and had no children, was already in the advanced stages of anaphylactic shock – a life-threatening, allergic reaction.

He was pronounced dead at the scene.

The brothers lived and work together on the farm, owned by their mother, Daisy Williamson, of Welton.

His family moved to the 50-acre arable farm when he was three years old.

Mr Evison had been using a strimmer to clear grass next to the farm on land belonging to his uncle, William Maltas.

Mr Evison's brother told the Mail: "Experts told us he would not have seen the nest. It was very well concealed in the grass.

"Half of me has died. Mark was my rock. He was the level-headed one. I always turned to him for advice. I could not have wished for a better brother."

Paul recalled his brother had sought treatment at Goole Hospital after being stung by a wasp two years ago, but made a rapid recovery.

He said: "He may have been allergic to wasps, but he did not need to carry adrenalin. As far as I know he was not given any two years ago."

Mrs Williamson, whose first husband Alan – the brother's father – died of a heart attack in 1997, also paid tribute to her hard-working son.

The 72-year-old said: "Mark was very highly regarded in Ellerker. He was known by everyone.

"Mark was very thoughtful. A fortnight ago we had the annual scarecrow festival.

"A lady from North Cave had done a lovely painting of the village, which showed our farm.

"I happened to mention it to Mark. A little while later Mark had gone to the church where it was displayed and bought it for me.

"We are all devastated. The support we have been given from the village has been great."

Albert Williamson, 55, owner of Williamson's Potato and Fresh Produce Merchants in Ellerker, knew Mr Evison from birth.

He said: "Mark was a well-liked lad. Very hard working. He would have done anything to help someone."

A spokeswoman for East Riding Council, whose pest control team attended the location of the wasp attack, said: ""Residents living in neighbouring properties have been informed of the nest's location and it has been sealed off."

Mr Evison's funeral will be held at 11am on Tuesday at St Anne's Church in Church Road, Ellerker.