Villagers whose lives have become “plagued by flies” are piling pressure on the council to shut down a nearby chicken farm which they are blaming for their insect “nightmare”.
Flies have descended on Fulmodeston, near Fakenham – ruining the everyday lives of people in the village.
Thousands of flies are swarming the homes of residents, forcing them to stay inside during the day, and crawling over them as they try to sleep at night.
READ MORE: Buzz off! Villagers' misery as chicken farm draws 'swarms of flies’
They say their lives are being made a misery by the flies, blaming a chicken farm in the village for the spread of the pests, which is owned by Banham Poultry.
They are now urging the council to step in and close the farm.
Banham Poultry reopened the farm in January this year after it closed in 2020 on the back of hundreds of complaints to the Environment Agency about the “unbearable smell” and noise coming from the farm.
The council said its environmental health team was now investigating the case.
READ MORE: Council 'engages' with Banham Poultry over Fulmodeston flies
Banham Poultry said it is trying to help the villagers by putting in place pest control measures “over and above industry norms”.
However, the site operator said its other farms, which are also located close to villages and follow the same guidelines, have not received fly complaints.
“We are aware of the fly issue within the village and we are working with the village, parish council and Norfolk County Council,” a Banham Poultry spokesperson said.
“We are supporting the village with their fly control where we can.
"We are following guidelines in relation to pest control treatments using an external independent provider and Banham has also put in other measures over and above industry norms complying with all requests from local governing bodies.
“Our similar farms, which follow the same guidelines, which are located close to other villages, have had no complaints regarding flies.
“We are continuing to monitor the situation.”
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