People in this seaside town say they are being plagued by flies (Image: Getty/David Jones)
Residents living in a famous UK seaside town say they are being plagued by an infestation of flies which is leaving them “physically sick” and unable to cook or eat in their own homes. One resident said it was a “recurring nightmare” that they have to deal with year after year.
The issue has been affecting people in an area of Llanelli in south-west Wales since June and investigations are ongoing to determine the cause. But this isn’t the first year the area has seen scores of the insects descend on it, with the cause seemingly a mystery.
Resident David Jones told WalesOnline: “It’s been going on for a few weeks now this summer but the truth is this is a recurring nightmare that keeps coming back to plague us year after year. It affects every single part of daily life. You can’t open the windows or doors to let a breeze in, even when it’s boiling hot, because they just swarm in. You can’t leave food out for a second and you’re constantly fighting them off.”
The flies are worse than ever this year, residents say (Image: Heather Jones)
Llanelli is famous for its once-thriving tin industry and its formerly world-beating rugby team (Image: Getty)
He went on: “You feel like a prisoner in your own home surrounded by sticky fly-papers just to try and keep the numbers down. We pay our council tax and rates and we shouldn’t have to live like this in our own homes. It’s about time a definitive source was found and sorted out once and for all.”
Another resident, Heather Jones, said she has been forced to spend money on eating out and expensive fly sprays, though she said the issue was so severe that spray actually has almost no impact. She said: “We have had a problem for a few years. This year is the worst I’ve had them.
“I suffer with depression and it’s getting really bad because you can’t sit in the living room for flies landing on you and you can’t make food because they are landing on everything so we are eating out. The cost of eating out and buying expensive fly spray that does nothing [adds up].”
Residents say they feel like prisoners in their own homes (Image: David Jones)
They say measures like fly sprays and traps do nothing, such is the scale of the problem (Image: Sue Rees)
A third resident, Sue Rees, told WalesOnline the insects constantly land on her baby grandson and his bottles, which causes the family great concern for his health.
She said: “Right now we can’t cook, eat, or even sit at home without flies crawling over us, our food, and our kids. It’s making people feel physically sick and many residents believe it’s why so many are unwell.”
She added many have contacted the council for help but remain “desperate” for a solution.
Publican Garry Rees-Andrews of The New Cornish Arms pub, said: “I’ve just bought an air conditioning unit because we can’t open the doors in the kitchen because of the flies and the heat in there is incredible. It’s getting to biblical proportions now, it’s like a plague. We’re all trying so hard. It’s so frustrating.”
Carmarthenshire County Council continues to investigate the issue “as a priority” by investigating potential source locations and taking precautionary action.
Cabinet member with responsibility for public health, Aled Vaughan Owen, said: “Carmarthenshire County Council continues 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 inquiries 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.
“We would encourage anyone experiencing issues with increased fly activity in the area to report them to us via the contact centre – 01267 234567 or via email to publicprotection@carmarthenshire.gov.uk – as this information helps officers monitor the situation and target investigation activity.”
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