South Wales villagers tormented by mystery plague of flies

A plague of flies has descended on a South Wales village, causing residents to cancel invitations to visitors and even consider leaving their homes.

People in Bettws, near Bridgend, said thousands of common houseflies had made their lives hell. Some reported being unable to eat a meal, with flies crawling over their food. One said it was affecting residents’ mental health.

The local council has deployed environmental health officers to try to determine the cause of the invasion and advise residents on how to try to keep the flies at bay.

Martyn Jones, who sits on Bridgend county borough council, said he had received “many calls and emails from concerned residents who have reported having to deal with large numbers of common houseflies over the last week or so”.

He urged people to “avoid speculation, especially on social media, regarding where the flies may be coming from”.

Once environmental health officers had identified the source, “appropriate action can be taken to tackle and address the problem”, he said.

Hayley Laaser, 42, a lifelong resident of Bettws, said she was at her wits’ end. “We just have flies everywhere and it’s really affecting our mental health,” she told the local democracy reporter Lewis Smith.

“We’ve tried nets, sticky strips and even keeping the doors and windows closed but nothing seems to work. There are just so many here to the point where it’s embarrassing to have people in our homes and we don’t know what to do.

“There are literally thousands of them and sometimes people think we’re exaggerating but you have to see it to believe it. You can’t open a window or a door without them pouring in, and you can’t even prepare a meal in the house as the flies will be crawling all over it.”

Flies were common in Bettws, a rural village surrounded by farms and smallholdings, she said, “but this year it has been 10 times worse. We just want it sorted now so we can have our windows open in the warm weather, and stop stressing over the fact that it seems to be getting worse.”

Some residents have considered spending nights in hotels or even moving house.

Melanie Simons, who runs the local pub, the Oddfellows Arms, said her business had been affected: “We’ve been unable to put food out in the pub over the last few days due to the amount of flies crawling all over it, and even things like feeding the dog become difficult because they are there within moments.”

Sarah Dawe, 50, another villager, said the situation was becoming unbearable.

“You can’t cook or eat food or even open the windows. To be honest it’s horrific and I’ve never seen anything like it in my life. It has been bad over the past three years but this year has topped them all. We’ve still not been told what’s causing it, but we hope they find out soon.”

The council has posted advice on dealing with musca domestica – the common housefly – on its website. Tips include not leaving out uncovered food, such as pet food or fruit, cleaning up spillages immediately, keeping lids on outdoor bins, clearing used litter trays and closing windows and doors when lights are on.

It also suggests zappers, flypaper and sprays “in a range of natural and environmentally friendly options” or making a trap with cider vinegar and washing up liquid.

Musca domestica can transport disease-causing organisms and cause public health issues.