Plague of houseflies descends on villages (From This Is Wiltshire)

Plague of houseflies descends on villages

2:40pm Thursday 3rd August 2006

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Health officers are baffled over the cause of a fly plague in villages around Marlborough.

Millions of the insects have descended on East and West Grafton and Burbage.

Kennet District Council environmental health officer Rob Draper said that after a lengthy investigation he was no nearer establishing the cause of the problem.

However, Mr Draper said it was more than likely that the plague was linked to the weather because, he said, there had been a similar one three years ago in Collingbourne Ducis.

Mr Draper said: "In 2003 it was really bad in the Collingbournes and the weather was very similar."

He said the problem appeared to occur after a period of wet weather was followed by abnormally hot weather.

Mr Draper said his research had shown there was a fly problem in the Collingbourne area historically.

He had found one newspaper cutting from 1862 in which a horse rider complained about the flies when riding through the Collingbourne Valley.

Mr Draper said he had ruled out any connection with any local farms or the chicken rearing industry in the area.

"If we knew there was a particular link with agriculture we would work with the farmers to make sure everything was as good as it should be," he said.

"When they spread manure we always ask them to make sure it is ploughed in within 24 hours."

Mr Draper added: "Several people told me that the problem started after the rain of the weekend before last (July 22/23)."

The insects were ordinary houseflies, he said, not bluebottles. "There is no evidence that farmers are responsible for it," he said.

"If it's a natural phenomenon then there is little anybody can do about it."

Baron Phillips, who lives on the edge of East Grafton, said the worst hit homes appeared to be his home and those of neighbours.

Mr Phillips said: "We have had to use fly papers to catch some of them at least.

"We must have gone through dozens and they have all been absolutely covered.

"We have six in the kitchen now and they are covered with flies."

He said a local landscape gardener claimed he had been told the flies had probably come from chicken sheds that had been demolished.

Mr Draper said he had checked on all the local farms and none had demolished any sheds or had spread manure in recent weeks.

He advised families to either keep windows and doors closed in the day or to cover them with fly screens.

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