Fly plague blights village

The flies have never descended in such quantities

Residents of a quiet Wiltshire village are being plagued by a swarm of flies, thought to have been caused by the hot weather.

Tens of thousands of house flies have descended on the picturesque village of Collingbourne Ducis, near Marlborough.

Environmental officers said the swarm was probably caused by the heatwave, coupled with muck-spreading on nearby fields.

Kennet District Council described the problem as "a terrible incident" and called in world-renowned experts in agricultural fly control from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and Bristol University.

In the absence of any obvious natural cause, it is likely a general farming practice being carried out in that area coupled together with the topography Council spokesperson

Dave Wheeler, a local landlord, told the BBC: "It has been horrendous: they just flood in. We have used 50 or 60 cans of flyspray in the last week."

A council spokeswoman said it had received an unprecedented number of calls - 80 - about the problem and was conducting an investigation.

Clean surfaces

"In the absence of any obvious natural cause, it is likely a general farming practice being carried out in that area coupled together with the topography and extraordinary weather conditions," she said.

"Temperatures are due to fall quite shortly," said a Met Office spokesman

The National Farmers' Union has also been notified of the problem.

The flies come to the area every year - but never before in such extreme numbers.

Council officers are advising residents to put up net curtains, keep houses ventilated and keep work surfaces clean.