Slugs and snails may appear innocuous, but as countless homeowners will testify, they can wreak absolute havoc in your garden at this time of year.

Fortunately, one gardening expert has revealed there is a "secret weapon" available in garden centres to tackle the problem that he believes very few people are even aware of.

These destructive pests are notorious for decimating plants and crops throughout spring and summer, and can even obliterate entire harvests by feasting on fruits such as strawberries and tomatoes.

However, there is a humane solution to the problem, as revealed by Peter Dowdall, who described slugs and snails as "the most common garden problem right now".

Peter, also known as The Irish Gardener, exclusively told The Mirror: "A lot of people just go straight for slug pellets which I'm not a huge fan of because of ecological reasons.

"There is a secret weapon if you like against slugs and snails which not a lot of people are aware of and that's sheep's wool. There are pellets available made from sheep's wool which are perfect barrier products."

These pellets should be positioned around whichever plants you wish to protect, forming an impenetrable barrier that slugs simply cannot cross.

Peter added: "It keeps the plant safe, it doesn't kill the slugs, but that's important too because slugs are food for hedgehogs and birds.

"It's all about the natural balance if you like, creating the natural balance just means that by maintaining a good diversity of species in the garden, you prevent the unnatural building of any one.

"So, sheep wool is a nice hidden weapon people aren't aware of and they are available through most garden centres as well."

Sheep's wool pellets, widely described as eco-friendly and sustainable, can cost up to £14 in the UK, and are frequently produced from wool that would otherwise go to waste.

Peter has spent over three decades working on gardens - and he also revealed to this reporter how people were currently making a "big mistake".

Addressing the error, he explained that people have been in a "mad rush" to introduce colour to their gardens now that the weather has improved.

He added: "Run down to the garden centre, get lots and lots of summer bedding plants and put them out straight away. That's a big mistake."

Explaining why this was so problematic, he said: "With the lovely blue sky days, at the moment, that does mean cold nights. So these plants wouldn't be, they wouldn't even be resistant to low temperatures.

"It wouldn't have to b ea frost or zero, if it is down to two, three, or four, it is too cold for them.

"So a lot of these plants, all of these plants really, would have been grown in artificial conditions, in glass houses, in tunnels, and then you will be buying them in either centrally heated supermarkets or in a projected structure in a garden centre, so that's why they look good, but they are not ready to go outside straight away."