Midge battle could go to court

Trial cures have not yet reduced the midge problem

Cardiff Bay residents plagued by flying insects are considering legal action against the local harbour authority.

A spell of warm, humid weather has resulted in huge swarms of the bugs covering homes and gardens near the water's edge.

David Lowe: Taking problem "very seriously"

And now people living in one of Wales' most coveted development areas have had enough of more than a year of infestation.

"We've tried to co-operate with the Cardiff Harbour Authority over the past 12 to 18 months," said Steve Croft, chair of the residents' management committee at Penarth Marina.

"But we've got to the stage where we're at the end of our tether, and a lot of residents are very vociferous and want to take some legal action now to stop the nuisance."

People living near the waterfront development have complained their lives have been blighted by the clouds of tiny flies.

Miserable

The problem began to show itself soon after the £200m barrage was impounded in the autumn of 1999 to create a 200-hectare freshwater lake.

Midges, or chironomids as they are known, do not bite, but residents around the city's new shoreline claim the sheer number of the bay flies is making their lives a misery.

Nets around the lights trap and kill the flies

The larvae of the flying insects thrive at the bottom of muddy wet flats - and the largest man-made freshwater lake in Europe provides the perfect breeding environment.

Residents on both the Cardiff and Penarth sides of the barrage have had their summers ruined by the midges.

Although the harbour authority has tried eco-friendly solutions like installing lights to entice the insects into nets, little difference has been noticed, and many people now believe legal action is the only option.

"We were advised that we have got very good grounds for disturbance of our lives, and that an injunction should be sought to stop the nuisance," Mr Croft said.

David Lowe, environmental manager with Cardiff Harbour Authority, said all efforts were being made to beat the problem.

"We are taking this matter very seriously indeed," he said.

Trial measures

"We have been consulting with many experts and learned organisations to see which would be the best approach."

As a trial measure, eco-friendly lights have been installed to attract the insects, which then get caught up in fine netting and drown.

Natural predators like birds, bats, and fish are also being encouraged to the area to feed off the flying feast.

"What the experts advise is that the environment is in an unbalanced state and, over a period of time, it should find a balance," Mr Lowe said.

"What we are trying to do is implement measures that will help to achieve this balanced situation more quickly."