Residents have shared their experiences of living with a plague of flies that has been causing misery in their village for the past five years. They are forced to try a variety of ways to keep the pests at bay, but the problem is not going away.
Doors and windows are kept closed as much as possible, they look forward to wet weather, and they are constantly having to kill the blighters. Adding to the frustration, environmental health teams have not being able to find the source of the problem.
Flies in parts of Leicester Forest East have been a problem since 2017 at least and some residents talking about stopping paying their taxes unless something was done, LeicestershireLive reports. Below, some of the residents detail their experiences of the problem.
Brij Sinha
For retired doctor Brij Sinha, every day starts with killing. Armed with a small flannel he makes his way around his home in Leicester Forest East swatting at flies.
His flannel is not all he has in his arsenal - the semi-detched house in Packer Avenue is packed with plug-in devices, spray bottles, sticky traps, jostick burners and even limes with cloves shoved in them. He said: "The fly problem is so bad here it drives you a little bit crazy.
"I'd like to move. I've tried every product you can buy, every tip and technique you see on YouTube but the garden is full of flies, the house is full of flies - live ones and dead ones. Something needs to be done. It's very frustrating and expensive, too."
Flies in parts of Leicester Forest East have been a problem for at least five years, with the finger of blame being pointed in various directions and some residents talking about stopping paying their taxes unless something was done. Dr Sinha and his wife moved in about 18 months ago and he, like dozens of others, has complained to the Environment Agency but it still seems there is no firm conclusion about what is causing the problem.
He has changed the way he lives to cope with the flies - keeping his cutlery submerged in water, putting a paper towel over the kettle to keep the flies out, cleaning the garden with disinfectant to stop them breeding and keeping the doors and windows closed as much as possible.
He said: "I thought it was just our house at first but the neighbours are all fed up with it, too, and even the shopkeeper nearby had problems. I don't want to have to live like this.
"I came to England from India 45 years ago and there were a lot of flies there - but it was never as bad as this."
Josh Bull
Mr Bull, 25, who lives a few doors down from Dr Sinha in Packer Avenue, said the flies were such a menace that he looked forward to bad weather. And he said he suspected fortnightly bin collections were contributing to the mysterious fly problem.
Speaking on Tuesday, he said: "Yesterday was actually okay because it was wet. Last night my fiancee and I had dinner in the dining room and it was the first time in three months we got through out meal with bashing flies away.
"We've been debating selling the house but who would want to buy it? The flies are really bad when there's hot weather and you actually look forward to a rainy day because there won't be any flies around - as long as you've killed every last one inside the house, of course.
"My parents live nearby in Brightwell Drive and have the same problem and they've spent about a grand and a half on a huge canopy with nets so that they can have barbecues in the garden. I don't know what causes all these flies but there is a smell around here sometimes and the bins are only collected once every fortnight, which probably contributes."
Sukhvinder Singh
About 500 yards to the west, on the opposite side of the motorway, the flies are also an issue in Charnwood Drive where Sukhvinder Singh, 47, lives with his wife and two children. He said: "We just moved in last month and it's been very bad. There are at least 10 flies in the house at the moment.
"I don't know where they're coming from. I'm not used to it. We used to live near Abbey Park in Leicester and it was nothing like this.
"You'll be having a meal and they'll land on your food as you're eating. When you open the door it's like they've been waiting outside to rush in and you can't even sit with a cup of tea in the garden because they come and land on the cup.
"When we bought the house we knew there was a motorway close by so there would be noise. But we had no idea about the flies and it's been a problem every single day since we moved in."
What the council says
A spokesman for Blaby District Council said the environmental health team had not discovered the source of the problem. He said: "We’ve undertaken extensive investigations over a number of years.
"Our team believes there is no site within Blaby District which is causing excessive flies in Leicester Forest East. Therefore residents who contact us about flies, odour or dust are referred to other relevant agencies depending on the concerns they raise."
The council passes callers onto the Environment Agency.
What the Environment Agency says
A spokeswoman for the Environment Agency said its officers had been monitoring one nearby business - recycling company Casepak, which falls within the Leicester City Council boundaries - due to speculation the flies were coming from there.
She said: “The Environment Agency regulates the site operated by Casepak in Leicester Forest East and we frequently visit the site, announced and unannounced, to check it is complying with its environmental permit. The company has pest control measures in place and is compliant with their permit.
"Local residents can be assured we will continue to monitor the site on a regular basis. As always, we would remind people to report environmental concerns to our 24-hour hotline in 0800 80 70 60.”
