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Telegraph
3 days ago
- General
- Telegraph
Fly invasion ‘ruining lives' in Leamington Spa
Residents in a royal town have said a 'nightmarish' invasion of flies has become 'absolute hell' and is 'ruining people's lives'. Homeowners in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, have described being trapped indoors by the infestation, which happens each summer. Some have sold up and moved out of the area because of the problem, which has also led to a 'rancid toxic smell' lingering in parts of the town. Parents said they were now draping fly nets over cots, and that children could not eat dinner without flies near their mouths. Others have reported falling ill. The problem was raised in Parliament by Matt Western, the MP for Warwick and Leamington Spa, who called the problem – which affects around 10,000 people – a 'public health risk'. Richard Manly, 37, a local welder, said: 'It's been nightmarish, really. These flies have left people gagging and choking, even kids and babies in their cots and beds. 'Drivers and cyclists have been sick getting a mouthful while going down the street, some are being sick. It's a crazy situation and we can't believe it's been allowed to go on. 'I go to Wickes quite often and workers say customers are staying away because of the smell. I know pubs, restaurants and other businesses have a similar issues because of both the flies and the smell.' Locals said the problem began around three years ago and has got progressively worse. Those living around the Heathcote area said they cannot go in their gardens and have resorted to filling their homes with fly strips and zappers. 'The smell is quite repulsive' Many residents have blamed a nearby recycling plant owned by Amcor, formerly known as Berry Circular Polymers, which is regulated by the Environment Agency. Kevin Shanahan, a retired law teacher, 64, said: 'It's the recycling business. Someone said the waste comes dirty and it attracts the flies. 'A man who works nearby to the unit says the plastic is brought in dirty and then it's left outside to fester. The smell is quite repulsive. We can't enjoy our homes as we can't go in our gardens or open the windows because of the flies and the smell.' Retired cleaning company owner Robert Horely, 69, added: 'We have the problem every year and it lasts for months. 'We have fly strips hanging down that are covered, you can't see a space on them – it's that bad. You can't go outside in the summer, when you do there's flies around you. You can't eat outside. 'Local pubs were having problems. A family went for a meal and they had to abandon their food as the flies were all over their food. 'People have been struggling to sleep as there's flies crawling all over you. How do you get them out? 'Plus this smell, which again appears to be coming from the same site. It's not a very pleasant smell, and quite strong at times. It's between a gone off, eggy disinfectant-type smell and chlorine. 'There's been a couple times where I've opened the front door and it's taken my breath away it's that smelly. It's a health and safety issue.' Regularly inspected A spokesman for the Environment Agency said permitted sites in the Leamington Spa area were regularly inspected, with operators required to make improvements where required. The spokesman added: 'Since April 1st we have inspected the Berry Circular Polymers site four times and identified a category three (minor) breach of the permit as they were not following their prescribed management techniques. 'We encourage residents to continue to report environmental issues via our 24/7 hotline on 0800 807060 to help with our investigations.' A spokesman for Berry Circular Polymers said previously: 'We take these concerns extremely seriously, and although both ourselves and our regulators cannot find a substantial causal link, we are committed to ensuring we do not negatively impact Warwickshire residents.'
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- General
- Daily Mail
We live in posh town invaded by flies - it's gotten so bad we're scared our babies might choke to death
Residents of a posh royal town have been plagued by a 'nightmarish' invasion of flies which swarm their homes each summer, making their lives 'absolute hell'. Homeowners in Leamington Spa have described being left trapped indoors by the infestation of flies which crawl in people's mouths and 'choke babies in cots'. Those living around the Heathcote area say they cannot go in their gardens and have resorted to filling their homes with fly strips and zappers, while others have spent thousands on fly screens for their home. Parents are draping fly nets over cots, children can't eat dinner without the insects crawling into their mouths and others have reported falling ill due to the swarms of winged creatures blighting the area. The problem has become so unbearable that some locals have sold up and moved out of the Regency town, which has a population of just over 50,000. The matter was recently debated in Parliament by Warwick and Leamington MP Matt Western who branded the issue, affecting around 10,000 people, a 'public health risk'. Locals say the problem began around three years ago but has got progressively worse - with more flies and a disgusting raw sewage smell descending on the area. They blame a nearby recycling plant owned by Amcor, formerly known as Berry Circular Polymers, which is regulated by the Environment Agency. Foster mum Maureen Kerr, 64, has lived in the area for three years and said trouble only started after the new plant was opened. The 64-year-old gran-of-six said: 'We foster babies from birth and have had to put nets over their cots and chairs. 'They go full pelt at you and you can't do anything. Especially when the babies are laying there after milk, it's awful - they try and swarm them. 'We started off with fly spray not realising why we had so many. Then we had fly papers and those fly zappers. 'We have to keep changing them. It got so bad there were 50 flies on them over 24 hours. 'The smell is terrible. Our next door neighbour moved because she couldn't stand it. I just keep the windows and doors shut to stop the flies. 'One man spent thousands on fly screens. We've only lived here for three years and the first year was absolutely fine. But then all this started in the second year.' Retired primary school teacher Diljeet Kang, 65, said once the flies swarm indoors it's nearly impossible to get them out again. The gran-of-six said: 'It's not just the flies, it's the horrendous, nasty odour as well. When the summer starts you can't open the windows for the smell and the flies. 'The smell is just awful. I haven't opened up my windows. It gets worse and worse as the warmer months. I daren't open them if the flies come in. 'They're tiny ones, really fast. You can't even swat them. Once they get in it's hard to get them out. 'Everyone on the street is complaining about it. The amount of people that have sold their houses on the road because of that. 'We can't go out and enjoy our barbecues either because the flies will swarm the meat and get us ill.' Richard Manly, 37, a local welder, added: 'It's been really nightmarish really, these flies have left people gagging and choking, even kids and babies in their cots and beds. 'Drivers and cyclists have been sick getting a mouthful while going down the street, some are being sick. It's a crazy situation and we can't believe it's been allowed to go on. 'I got to Wickes quite often and workers say customers are staying away because of the smell. I know pubs, restaurants and other businesses have a similar issues because of both the flies and the smell.' Retired cleaning company owner Robert Horely said the stench was enough to take his breath away when he left his house. The 69-year-old dad-of-one said: 'We have the problem every year and it lasts for months. 'We have fly strips hanging down that are covered, you can't see a space on them, it's that bad. You can't go outside in the summer, when you do there's flies around you. You can't eat outside. 'Local pubs were having problems. A family went for a meal and they had to abandon their food as the flies were all over their food. 'They come in and get everywhere. People have been struggling to sleep as there's flies crawling all over you. How do you get them out? 'Plus this smell which again appears to be coming from the same site. It's not a very pleasant smell, and quite strong at times. It's between a gone off, eggy disinfectant-type smell and chlorine. 'There's been a couple times where I've opened the front door and it's taken my breath away it's that smelly. It's a health and safety issue. 'The council and environment agency keep playing ping pong, it's back and forth between them. One of the biggest queries is how did it get planning permission in the first place.' Retired law teacher Kevin Shanahan, 64, added: 'It's the recycling business. Someone said the waste comes dirty and it attracts the flies. 'A man who works nearby to the unit says the plastic is brought in dirty and then it's left outside to fester. The smell is quite repulsive. 'We can't enjoy our homes as we can't go in our gardens or open the windows because of the flies and the smell.' Addressing parliament two weeks ago, Mr Western said: 'Imagine being in your own home and unable to eat with your family, unable to leave food for even a minute without your kitchen being swarmed with flies, and unable to sleep in your own bed without flies landing on your face. 'Imagine flies everywhere, in every room of your house, in business premises, in pubs, in restaurants and in takeaways, and vile odours permeating your life whether at home, walking the streets or driving your car. 'That is the reality for hundreds of families in one part my constituency. 'I estimate that as many as 10,000-if not more-of my constituents in south Warwick, south Leamington and Whitnash are impacted by this. 'They have faced swarms of flies and foul odours for three years running. Their houses are infested with flies. They are unable to open their windows for fear of swarms entering their home. 'They are unable to prepare food in their kitchen without the constant cleaning of their work surfaces to clean off the fly excrement, which also adheres to their walls. 'Would any Member of this House be satisfied with their family living like that? This is not just a minor inconvenience; this is ruining people's lives. 'People are getting ill, and some residents are actually selling up. 'Then there is the all-pervasive foul-smelling odour. Constituents describe the smell as being like "raw sewage". They say it is "sulphuric" and "toxic". 'Many have told me that the smell is utterly unbearable.' A spokesperson for the Environment Agency said: 'We are committed to ensuring that people and the environment are protected. 'This includes regularly inspecting permitted sites in the Leamington Spa area and requiring operators to make improvements where they are required. 'Since April 1st we have inspected the Berry Circular Polymers site 4 times and identified a Category 3 (minor) breach of the permit as they were not following their prescribed management techniques. 'We encourage residents to continue to report environmental issues via our 24/7 hotline on 0800 807060 to help with our investigations.' A spokesperson for Berry Circular Polymers said previously: 'We take these concerns extremely seriously and although both ourselves and our regulators cannot find a substantial causal link, we are committed to ensuring we do not negatively impact Warwickshire residents.'
BBC News
22-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
Warwickshire campaigners celebrate as solar farm rejected
A local campaigner has said she is "overjoyed" after plans to construct a solar farm next to a Warwickshire village have been Pittel led the drive against the proposed 212-acre site to the west of Fosse Way, near Radford Semele. The plans sparked significant pushback from residents with more than 300 objections, including a petition signed by more than 1,200 at Warwick District Council voted eight to one to reject the plans at a meeting on Tuesday evening as the impact to the landscape outweighed the benefits of the source of renewable energy. Recurrent Energy, who were behind the project, said the site would generate enough renewable energy to power about 20,651 homes and save 14,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year. However, the number of other solar farms in close proximity to the planned site led the councillors to acknowledge the "cumulative impact". Matt Western, MP for Warwick and Leamington, Radford Semele Parish Council and landscape professionals from Warwickshire County Council also objected to the plans. In addition to the "cumulative impact", they added that the plans would also lead to landscape harm, the loss of good quality agricultural land and open space."There was an awful lot of opposition to it," Ms Pittel said. 'Site would have dominated village' In a statement on social media, Western said the site would have "dominated" the nearby village, but added that he "cared deeply" about green energy. He suggested onshore wind sites could be used as a renewable source in Warwickshire instead. Ms Pittel said she was "very hopeful" the rejection would not be overturned if it were to be appealed as local policy "protected against the cumulative impacts" that resulted "from all the other developments here". She added that the impacts "can't be mitigated" as a result of the neighbouring sites. Follow BBC Coventry & Warwickshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Fly infestation needs to be resolved
An MP has called for a public meeting with environment bosses to resolve a fly infestation and odour issue that has affected residents for more than two years. Matt Western, Labour MP for Warwick and Leamington, first met constituents about the problem in September 2023, which many say originates from a recycling plant regulated by the Environment Agency (EA) near Leamington Spa. Almost three years later, Western described himself as "beyond frustrated" that the issue persisted. The recycling company and the EA said they were yet to find a substantial link between the odour and any site. People living in Heathcote and Whitnash, to the south of Leamington, have blamed the issues on a nearby recycling plant owned by Amcor, formerly known as Berry Circular Polymers. Western recently raised their concerns in parliament with Mary Creagh, a junior secretary in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. He said residents could not be "continuously dismissed" when there was "very obviously a problem" and added he was applying for an adjournment debate on the matter. Local residents have formed a Facebook group, Residents Against Pollution and Industrial Damage (RAPID), to encourage reports of flies and foul smells. A spokesperson said: "I don't know what our confidence levels are like, however I can say we are not giving up". They added Western had represented "thousands of residents" in the Commons and it was "a great way to get the message across". "It's about time the EA and the government looked at this," they added. An EA spokesperson said sites in the Leamington Spa area were "regularly inspected" and "operators made improvements where they were required". "We are committed to ensuring that people and the environment are protected," they added. Amcor said its Leamington Spa site was "compliant with the EA" and that it worked closely with the agency to make improvements. Follow BBC Coventry & Warwickshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram. 'Rancid' smell complaints continue despite checks Summer plague of flies prompts public meeting MP calls for investigation into 'rancid smell' Environment Agency Berry Circular Polymers
BBC News
22-05-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Leamington Spa fly infestation needs to be resolved
An MP has called for a public meeting with environment bosses to resolve a fly infestation and odour issue that has affected residents for more than two Western, Labour MP for Warwick and Leamington, first met constituents about the problem in September 2023, which many say originates from a recycling plant regulated by the Environment Agency (EA) near Leamington three years later, Western described himself as "beyond frustrated" that the issue recycling company and the EA said they were yet to find a substantial link between the odour and any site. People living in Heathcote and Whitnash, to the south of Leamington, have blamed the issues on a nearby recycling plant owned by Amcor, formerly known as Berry Circular recently raised their concerns in parliament with Mary Creagh, a junior secretary in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural said residents could not be "continuously dismissed" when there was "very obviously a problem" and added he was applying for an adjournment debate on the matter. Local residents have formed a Facebook group, Residents Against Pollution and Industrial Damage (RAPID), to encourage reports of flies and foul smells.A spokesperson said: "I don't know what our confidence levels are like, however I can say we are not giving up".They added Western had represented "thousands of residents" in the Commons and it was "a great way to get the message across". "It's about time the EA and the government looked at this," they added. 'Plant is compliant' An EA spokesperson said sites in the Leamington Spa area were "regularly inspected" and "operators made improvements where they were required". "We are committed to ensuring that people and the environment are protected," they added. Amcor said its Leamington Spa site was "compliant with the EA" and that it worked closely with the agency to make improvements. Follow BBC Coventry & Warwickshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
