Plague of flies in Milton Keynes that swarmed homes and forced supermarket to close pastry section explained

A plague of flies in Milton Keynes has been causing sparks to fly.
Flies have taken over an area of MKFlies have taken over an area of MK
Flies have taken over an area of MK

The problem at Newton Leys in MK was so bad last week that residents were reporting up to 60 flies at a time buzzing around their houses.

Even the local Asda supermarket had to close its fresh pastry section due to the pesky problem.

The government’s environment agency hotline was buzzing with complaints and many residents also called the Bletchley landfill site operators, FCC Environment.

Flies have taken over an area of MKFlies have taken over an area of MK
Flies have taken over an area of MK

They were told the problem was a one-off, caused by contaminated waste coming in to the recycling part of the site.

It is understood FCC temporarily closed closed the recycling section in a bid to clear the infestation.

A spokesman for the company said: “In relation to the reports of flies at our facilities in Bletchley, we are aware of the issue and are currently investigating the cause.

“in the meantime, we would like to reassure residents that we take this situation very seriously and as such as we have brought in a team of professional pest controllers who will be on site daily until the issue is resolved.

Sign about closure of pastry section in nearby AsdaSign about closure of pastry section in nearby Asda
Sign about closure of pastry section in nearby Asda

One householder said: “We always get lots of flies around here in the summer. We think it’s partly due to the nearby lake and partly due to the landfill site. But we’ve never before seen so many and so early in the year."

People took to social media to swap tips about the best fly killer and deterrants.

One resident said; “I tried everything from electronic killers, citronella candles and fly curtians but my house was still swarming. I’ve never seen anything like it before.”

Some householders kept a sense of humour and swapped fly jokes on Facebook. One wrote: “Just killed a fly but then 30 more came to the funeral.”

Another posted: "Just shot one with my air rifle. It was a fly-by shooting."