A ‘biblical’ plague of flies is making life a misery for the residents of a Welsh seaside town and it’s only getting worse with the hot weather.
The pests are becoming such a nuisance that locals in Llanelli, south Wales, have claimed they can’t cook meals without swarms of flies landing in their food.
And regulars at the town’s local pubs and bars have been forced to place beer mats over their glasses to stop the ‘disgusting’ insects dropping in.
Residents blame a nearby recycling centre for the fly plague which has been troubling them for the last 10 years.
They claim 2018 was bad but this year is the worst as Wales continues to bask in recurrent heat waves.
Last month, Wales recorded its hottest June day on record after 35.9C was recorded in Cardiff.
To combat the pesky insects, locals have set up fly traps and bought electric zappers. However, some shops have run out of repellent and the flies ‘keep coming’.
Club manager Paige Richards, 20, said: ‘They are invasive, they get everywhere and whatever measures we take don’t work.
An unraveled fly trap in a store in Llanelli. Although residents are use to dealing with the insects in summer, the continous heatwave has exaggerated the problem this year
A fly on a wall in Llanelli. The pests are becoming such a nuisance that locals in Llanelli, south Wales, have claimed they can’t cook meals without swarms of flies landing in their food
Dead flies stuck to tape in Llanelli. To combat the pesky insects, locals have set up fly traps and bought electric zappers. However, some shops have run out of repellent and the flies ‘keep coming’
‘We’ve put up fly papers which soon get covered with the insects and we’ve bought an electric zapper but the flies keep coming.’
Ms Richards runs the Seaside Sports and Social Club where fans have been fitted to tables to keep the flies off customers.
She said: ‘They do it in Spain so I thought I’d try it here, it works a bit but the flies just hover underneath the tables.
‘People come here to get away from the flies in their houses but they’re everywhere. It’s a nuisance and a health hazard.’
Carl Phillips, 42, a plasterer said: ‘It’s a plague of biblical proportions. If you kill 100, another 100 will come back.
‘At night you’re in bed trying to get to sleep and they’re landing on your head.’
Retired steelworker John Thomas joked that his son had hung so many fly papers that they look ‘like curtains’.
‘They call him the fly assassin but they keep coming back,’ he said.
Gill Phillips, 69, has fitted nets to the windows and doors of her two-bed terraced house in the coastal village
Retired steelworker John Thomas joked that his son had hung so many fly papers that they look ‘like curtains’
Mr Thomas’ wife Ann, 72, said: ‘You can’t prepare food without them landing on it all the time. It’s disgusting.
‘My family came for a meal but there were flies landing on their food. They said they’re not coming back until we get rid of the flies.’
Shops in Llanelli have long sold out of fly spray which locals say had no effect on their unwelcome visitors.
The joke in the local pubs is that anyone who avoids the flying pests will announce: ‘There’s no flies on me.’
Gill Phillips, 69, has fitted nets to the windows and doors of her two-bed terraced house in the coastal village.
She said: ‘I bought them off Amazon, they help but I’ve still got flies in the house all the time.
‘I bought a £30 electric zapper and fly papers but you can’t make a meal in the kitchen without flies landing on your food.
‘Even with the nets fitted they still manage to get in.’
A rubbish dump in Llanelli. Residents blame the nearby recycling centre for the fly plague which has been troubling them for the last 10 years
The mother-of-three has become an expert on fly behaviour after they have infested her home over the last 10 years.
She said: ‘They can’t fly high, they like to be close to the ground. That means I don’t get them in the bedroom so that’s my safe place.
‘But I’m sick of them, the whole village is. It’s worse in the hot weather. I can’t wait for winter just to get rid of the flies.
‘We’ve complained to the council time and time again but they don’t want to know.’
Cllr Aled Vaughan Owen, Carmarthenshire County Council’s Cabinet Minister with responsibility for public health, said: ‘We are continuing to investigate the concerns raised by residents and businesses in parts of Llanelli regarding increased fly activity as a priority.
‘Environmental Health and Public Protection officers have carried out repeated visits throughout the affected area this week, including inspections of potential source locations, monitoring activity, engagement with local communities and direct support for affected sites.
This is a multi-agency issue and we are working closely with Natural Resources Wales, which is the regulator for permitted waste sites in the area, and other relevant partners to investigate all potential contributing factors and ensure that appropriate control measures are in place.
Investigations remain ongoing and it is important that any conclusions are evidence-based. However, residents can be reassured that significant officer time and resources are being devoted to this issue, with enquiries and site inspections continuing on a daily basis.’
As a precautionary measure, the County Council has reviewed drainage and cleansing activity as well as inspecting drainage assets in the area. Targeted environmental cleansing has also been carried out, with routine drainage cleansing programmes remaining in place. However, there is currently no evidence to suggest that highway drainage systems are contributing to the infestation.
We will continue to review the situation carefully and work with partner organisations to take any appropriate action to protect residents and minimise nuisance.
