Guernsey residents hope fly outbreak does not happen again

Last year officials from Environmental Health said they had identified the source of the flies

Residents in a Guernsey parish want to avoid another outbreak of flies in their buildings and businesses.

In 2022, households in the La Vassalerie area of St Andrew's were unable to open their windows due to the overwhelming number of flies.

Officials from Environmental Health said they had identified the source and an enforcement order was served.

Tomas Gudelis, landlord at the Last Post pub, said residents hoped it did not happen again.

"It has been a big issue for the last two years, and we have had to secure our windows and doors with nets," Mr Gudelis said.

"As soon as you open the doors you get hundreds of flies through them.

"It means doing an event outside is near impossible. It's a big issue."

'Made life a misery'

Ric Wharton, who lives in the area, said there had been a "plague" of flies and the situation had "made life a misery".

A government spokesperson said: "The Office of Environmental Health and Pollution Regulation has been working with an establishment to try to prevent a recurrence of the fly problem that existed last summer.

"A statutory nuisance was determined and an enforcement notice was served. This notice provides a compliance period for the party to deal with the matter.

"After the compliance period has ended, officers will assess whether compliance has been achieved. Once this has been assessed it will dictate whether further action is necessary and proportionate."

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