Fruit fly infestation at Greenfaulds High School

A high school in North Lanarkshire has been infested with fruit flies.

Pictures posted on social media showed a chair swarmed by the insects at Greenfaulds High School in Cumbernauld.

One pupil, who has been kept off school by her parents as a result of the problem, said the issue had stopped her from using the toilets on Monday.

A spokeswoman for North Lanarkshire Council said environmental health officers were on site to provide specialist advice.

Sophie, 16, is one of the school's 1,400 pupils. She was kept off school on Tuesday by her mum, Karen O'Rourke.

Ms O'Rourke said: "I kept her off today because of the fly infestation... She sent me the picture of the chair in the dining hall.

"When she went back yesterday she said she was really needing the toilet but couldn't use it. It's not as if she could nip home, she had to wait to use the toilet when she left.

Sophie added: "There were flies everywhere you went - library, classrooms, toilets, dining hall.

"The teachers were disgusted by it. My friends were horrified by it as well.

"There were far too many to go in the toilets."

Another pupil, who did not want to be identified, said there was a "huge number of flies" from Monday morning - around the toilets, canteen and the social area of the school.

He said some pupils had stood outside during their lunch break - either choosing not to eat lunch or buying food from a nearby ice cream van instead.

The council believes that fruit binned by pupils in the sanitary bins in the girls' toilets may have contributed to the issue.

A spokeswoman for North Lanarkshire Council confirmed that the bins were usually emptied every five weeks, but would now be changed every four weeks.

She said the fruit flies were "unsightly" but "not harmful". The head teacher was made aware of the problem shortly before the October holiday week, and that "every effort" was made to resolve the issue while pupils were absent.

Despite this, "the problem has resurfaced", she said.

"Our own environmental health officers have been on site to provide specialist advice.

"It appears that the inappropriate disposal of food waste has contributed to the problem and we are issuing clear guidance to pupils and staff about the appropriate disposal of food waste and notices have also been posted in washrooms."

She added: "As well as a deep clean taking place by specialist cleaners, sanitary disposal units have been replaced this morning by the contractor and we have made arrangements to increase the frequency of the exchange of fresh sanitary bins. Additional waste bins have been put in place in the dining area in the school."