Poultry farm has brought a plague of flies to our homes: Outraged villagers ... trends now
Disgusted villagers claim they are being engulfed every summer by a 'plague of flies' attracted to a huge new poultry unit nearby.
They say millions of the pests are infesting their homes, forcing them to sleep under nets and keep windows closed even on hot days. Fly paper and traps are quickly overwhelmed.
There have also also been complaints about smells and the constant noise of whirring ventilation fans, as well as from lorries travelling to and from the site.
Residents in Westhall, near Halesworth in Suffolk, say the problems began two summers ago when the new £1.5 million unit opened at Fox Covert Farm.
The facility holds a licence for up to 40,000 chickens - although a previous owner was granted planning permission for up to 120,000 birds at the site.
Grandfather Alasdair Cameron, 84, whose 18th century barn home overlooks the site, said: 'We've had to put up with problems of smell and noise. But the worst thing is the millions of flies that have infested the area in the two summers since it began operating'
Residents in Westhall, near Halesworth in Suffolk, say the problems began two summers ago when the new £1.5 million unit opened at Fox Covert Farm
The poultry farm in Westhall, near Halesworth, Suffolk. Local residents claim it causes swarms of flies which infest their homes. The two 120m-long poultry sheds are operated on land leased from farming company E C Drummond by Crown Chicken, a subsidiary of food giant Cranswick
Dead flies in Mr Cameron's kitchen. He said: 'It starts getting bad in May and carries right on through September. You can't ask anyone over for dinner because it is too much. They swarm at first light and I am forced to sleep under a mosquito net but the constant buzzing still keeps me awake'
The two 120m-long poultry sheds are operated on land leased from farming company E C Drummond by Crown Chicken, a subsidiary of food giant Cranswick.
Last week the Mail revealed how residents living next to a Cranswick farm were suffering headaches, nosebleeds and breathing problems because of the stench from the unit in Stow Bedon, Norfolk.
The local council claims it has checked for fly problems in Westhall – a tiny village with around 400 residents, a Grade I listed Norman church and a pub - and didn't identify any issues with the chicken farm. But residents insist it is responsible for the annual swarm of flies.
Grandfather Alasdair Cameron, 84, whose 18th century barn home overlooks the site, said: 'We've had to put up with problems of smell and noise. But the worst thing is the millions of flies that have infested the area in the two summers since it began operating. The swarms are just horrendous.
'It starts getting bad in May and carries right on through September. You can't ask anyone over for dinner because it is too much.
'They swarm at first light and I am forced to sleep under a mosquito net but the constant buzzing still keeps me awake.
'There were some flies when we had the old farm, which is what you expect when you live in the country, but they are much worse now.
'It makes life pretty intolerable and it is impossible to stop them coming into your house. I hang up strips of tape and put out special traps but they quickly fill up.
'They land on every surface in my kitchen and they are attracted to anything white, so they are all over my sink and
