I have never seen such an insect in my life and have never seen it in books not not nor nothing nor nuffink whatsoever! Honest, Guv!
A complete first for me and you say 'the first ... I have seen this year'
Obviously I should have got out more!

Hi Andy, I think I am right in saying these are gradually moving northwards in the UK, I found the first one I had seen in my garden about ten or so years ago and since then they have become more common to the point that they now breed here and the nymphs are frequently seen in the garden. Despite their bright colours they are surprisingly difficult to spot until you 'get your eye in' and then they become quite easy to observe. They nymphs are mainly a mottled brown and hairy and tend to blend into their surroundings well.