And the NBU take on things ... https://www.gov.uk/government/news/a...-in-lancashire

Very much further North than would be expected from the time of season, known migration rate (from studies in France*) and previous location so I suspect it's an import.

* analysis by NBU suggests spread from original Tetbury site in 2016 would take about 20 years to reach Lancashire based upon the mean dispersal distance of queens (<20 miles) and the temperature gradient North to South. Of course, this assumes that a) they're established in the South-West which certainly isn't a given and b) they don't get imported and established elsewhere. The mean dispersal distance of a caravan + stowaway hornet returning from holiday in the Auvergne is a bit more than 20 miles