Farm warned after village is 'plagued' with flies

A warning notice has been issued to a poultry farm after people in a village complained about being swarmed by a "plague" of flies.

People in Willington in Derbyshire said their homes and businesses had been filled with dozens and even hundreds of flies every day.

South Derbyshire District Council said its officers had visited a farm which was "in all probability" the source of the increased flies, and found its fly control standards were "insufficient".

However, it said the farm had "immediately responded by increasing fly treatment processes as a result of the visit".

The farm has not been named by the council, but local egg producer Betty's Farm told the BBC it had experienced an increase in flies two weeks ago.

The owner, who asked not to be named, said: "We are working closely with environmental health."

The council said its warning notice was issued on 9 August and required a "revised fly management plan" to be submitted to the council within seven days.

The council said the plan had since been submitted and was currently being reviewed against "industry best practice standards".

"It is anticipated that a final management plan will be agreed before the end of this week," the council said.

Willington resident Sue Bussey said the flies were "attacking" her mother, who has dementia and is confined to an armchair.

"It's getting very warm in her room but we can't open windows for her as we would like to because of the fly situation," she said.

"She sits and eats in her chair as well so she's sat with a tray in front of her with her food and the flies just attack. They are dreadful, they are all over her, and she can't swipe them away.

"The carers and I are swatting flies away constantly so she can manage to have a meal without these flies on her.

"It's a horrible thing to watch, your mum being covered in flies."

Jo Ensby, one of the joint owners of BumbleBees tea room and coffee shop, said they had been inundated with "dozens and dozens, if not hundreds" of flies over the course of each day.

"It's like a plague, it's constant," she said.

"We've got fly screens up, we've got an electric zapper, we've got the old fashioned sticky ones, and we are still absolutely inundated.

"We can put one of the sticky ones up and you can come in in the morning - and it's a couple of feet long - and it will be full overnight.

"Obviously as an owner of a food business it's a worry because you are frightened about contamination."

Val Collins, who has lived in Willington on and off for 44 years, said the flies had been "horrendous" this summer.

"My sink is full of them, my kitchen is absolutely full of them, I can't feed my cat properly because she keeps getting maggots in her food," she said.

"I can't have windows open, I can't have patio doors open. I've got fly catchers all up in every room and they're still coming, and I don't know how they're getting in.

"It's been going on for well over a month, two months. I've reported it to environmental health.

"They've said something's going to be done within the next two to three weeks. We can't wait that long, it's ridiculous."

Diane Stevenson, who owns Cottage Garden Florist, said the problem had been getting worse over the past couple of years.

"It's never been this bad though, I think this year is particularly horrendous," she said.

"We've got fly traps and fly papers and all sorts in the shop. Even overnight they are absolutely covered, just from one night.

"And they are constantly buzzing round us. It's not nice for us to be stood here having them buzzing round you and landing on your ankles and making you want to itch.

"If you look around the shop now you could probably count 20 or so. The fly papers are absolutely covered and we've got lots around the shop."

Shaun Barker, who has lived in Willington for eight years, said there were normally lots of flies over the summer but it had become worse over the past three or four years.

"It becomes uncomfortable to have the doors and windows open because you're constantly getting the flies in," he said.

"You are making food and then all of a sudden you've got 20 or 30 flies on your countertop and you're having to throw loads of stuff away and try and remake it, and it gets a bit irritating after a while.

"It's a constant stream. You end up giving up after a while and try to live with it."

South Derbyshire District Council said in a statement: "Council officers were alerted to a significant fly increase in properties in Willington in the first week in August.

"Officers visited a local poultry farm early last week and satisfied themselves that the farm was, in all probability, the source of the locally increased fly numbers.

"They also concluded that the implementation of on-site fly control standards had been insufficient in preventing a recent rapid escalation in insects.

"The farm has immediately responded by increasing fly treatment processes as a result of the visit."

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