Saudi authorities take action after locust swarm hits Mecca's Great Mosque

Authorities at the holiest mosque in Islam have launched a campaign to clean up the religious site after it was hit by a plague of locusts.

Social media users in recent days have posted images and videos of swarms of locust infesting the Great Mosque of Mecca in western Saudi Arabia.

Mecca's municipal authority issued a statement on Monday, announcing that it had tasked specialised teams of sanitation workers to tackle the infestation.

"We have harnessed all efforts available to speed up the eradication of the insects in the interest of the safety and comfort of guests to God's house," it said.

The authority also posted images of cleaners spraying insecticide the mosque's sewage system and water drains around the Great Mosque.

The mosque, which is the focal point of the hajj, draws in millions of pilgrims each year. The Gulf region is occasionally hit by voracious locust swarms.