Coxhoe village fly infestation shuts shops and empties pub

THE shop closed, the pub emptied and villagers slammed their windows and searched in vain for somewhere selling fly spray as swarms of the insects descended.

This was the fate of the usually quiet village of Coxhoe as the sun, against all expectations, came out over the Bank Holiday weekend.

David Lawson, landlord of The Red Lion, said: “It was horrendous.

“The amount of flies there were, you couldn’t stop in the pub to listen to the singer.

“It seemed as if for every one you killed, another 20 appeared.”

Many drinkers headed for the exit. Those who persisted sat with a hand over their glass to protect their pint.

“People were saying they couldn’t sit in their own houses. I’ve never experienced anything like it,” Mr Lawson added.

INFESTED: Flies in a house in Coxhoe

Over at Laings Newsagents, it got so bad that owner John Jury had to close for the day.

“One minute there were no flies, suddenly there were loads of them,” he said.

“There were thousands of them in the shop. I had lots of people in trying to buy fly spray – but we don’t sell it.”

One villager said: “Every room in the house was full of them. Every surface was covered in flies. We had to throw food out.”

Residents are blaming nearby Joint Stocks Quarry landfill site for the problems.

Operator Premier Waste Management (PWM) declined to comment.

However, the Environment Agency (EA) said it was investigating complaints about “large numbers of flies” and the investigation was centring on a waste storage shed at Joint Stocks.

The EA has instructed PWM to remove the waste stored in the shed and carry out “treatments that will eradicate the fly populations”.

A spokesman said he expected this to be completed today (Wednesday, May 8) but the EA would continue to monitor the situation to ensure the problem was solved.

He thanked villagers for highlighting the problem.

To report a potential pollution incident, call the EA incident hotline on 0800-80-70-60.