Swarms of flies plague homes in village for years

Some of the residents in Leicester Forest East who say they've been plagued with flies since 2018

People living in a Leicestershire village have said that they "dread coming home" due to an invasion of flies which has bugged them for years.

Residents in Leicester Forest East say they have been plagued by huge numbers of the insects daily since 2018.

They believe a nearby recycling centre is the cause of the problem.

But Casepak, the company which runs the centre, says its controls to limit flies are "working effectively".

And the Environment Agency has told the BBC it has never found anything which would suggest the Casepak site is the source of the flies.

Residents in Leicester Forest East say huge numbers of flies are making their lives miserable

The difficulties in pinpointing the cause has left some residents feeling there is no end in sight to the problem, which they say has become worse every year and forced some of their neighbours to move out of the village altogether.

Householders have said they are forced to hang flypaper and traps from their ceilings regularly, which quickly collect large amounts of dead flies.

Kerry Harrison, 44, has been living in Packer Avenue for the last four years and said she struggles to do even the most basic of chores due to the flies.

She said: "We used to have a bread bin, but the flies get in it and lie their eggs in it.

"You can't sit outside, and you can't have doors and windows open. It's a living nightmare.

"It's impacting our family life. We used to be really sociable, but we now have to go to our friends' homes because they don't have flies."

Ms Harrison told the BBC she feared the fly problem was reducing the value of their homes.

She added: "It's actually now referred to as Leicester Fly East, rather than Leicester Forest East. The house prices are going down.

"In the last summer alone, there have been 10 houses which have for sale boards up. And I know four more that don't have a board."

"I felt like packing my bags and going elsewhere."

Tina and Steve Ridgley are among the residents who are driven to distraction by the flies on a daily basis

Tina Rigley, 62, has a disability which restricts her movement and said that she didn't know how to cope with the invasion during the Covid-19 pandemic when she was asked to shield.

"I couldn't go anywhere to get away from it," she said. "The only place I could be was at home or in the garden. You are constantly battering 200 or 300 flies a day.

"That's how it's been since it started."

Mrs Rigley added the problem was so bad that her GP wrote a letter during the pandemic recognising the impact it was having on her emotionally.

She said "You know when summer comes around, that it's going to impact your mental health.

"I have a physical condition where I can't chase the flies around. My two boys can't either because they are in a wheelchair.

The sheer number of flies is driving residents to distraction

"It got to the stage last year that I felt like packing my bags and going elsewhere. But that's not possible.

Casepak said in a statement that it "has always strived to be a good operator and good neighbour."

It added: "Our operational and environmental management systems are working effectively at our Materials Recycling Facility (MRF), we constantly liaise with the Environment Agency (EA) and invite them to visit the facility, at any time, day and night," a statement reads.

"As a responsible operator we are open to facilitating engagement with local residents to address any concerns that they raise."

Leicester Forest East sits in the Blaby District Council area, but the council said the Casepak site is actually on Leicester City Council's patch.

A Leicester City Council spokesperson said it has no legal powers over the Casepak site, but does notify the Environment Agency of any complaints or issues it is made aware of.

Flypaper is a valuable commodity for people who live in the village

The Environment Agency has confirmed that it is investigating complaints by residents.

"We regulate the site operated by Casepak in Leicester Forest East and our officers frequently visit to check it is complying with its environmental permit," it said in a statement.

"As always, we would remind people to report environmental concerns to our 24-hour hotline in 0800 80 70 60."

Charnwood MP Edward Agar said he has set up a meeting with the Environment Agency to try to fix the problem for good.

He said: "It has been horrendous for the residents especially in the recent warm weather because they cannot open their windows, they cannot eat outside and they cannot cook in the garden.

"What we want is a proper way forwards so this doesn't reoccur year in and year out."