People in the Seaside area of Llanelli say a fly infestation has become so severe they cannot cook or eat in their own homes — and are keeping doors and windows shut through the hottest weeks of the year.
Shops around the affected streets have sold out of fly spray, and more than 800 residents have joined a Facebook group tracking the problem across the Seaside, Morfa and Tyisha areas of the town.
The infestation was first reported in 2018, and residents say it returns every summer in hot weather — worse than ever during this year’s heatwaves.
Many believe the flies are linked to a nearby metal recycling plant — but Natural Resources Wales has said it does not believe the AMG Resources site is “currently contributing” to the reported increase.
The company says it is not the source of the flies, and has pest control measures in place.
Carmarthenshire Council and the environmental watchdog are both investigating, with the council saying the issue is being treated as a priority.
Gill Phillips, 69, told BBC Wales she has had to give up cooking and baking altogether: “As soon as I get any food out the flies swarm.”
The grandmother-of-nine, who lives in one of the worst-affected streets, kept her doors and windows closed through this summer’s heatwaves despite recovering from poor health — and has spent £30 on an electronic fly trap, plus nets for her doors, to keep her home liveable.
She said many people no longer wanted to live in the area, and questioned why residents should have to pay for their own defences against the swarms.
At the Seaside Sports and Social Club, eight two-foot sticky fly traps filled up in just 24 hours — and regulars have taken to covering their coffee cups with beer mats between sips.
Around the corner at The New Cornish Arms, publican Garry Rees-Andrews has a member of staff on “fly-watch” every shift, starts work at 7am to disinfect floors and surfaces, and has bought an air conditioning unit because the kitchen doors can no longer be opened. “It’s getting to biblical proportions now, it’s like a plague,” he said.
He said his frustration was that the problem returns year after year — and that businesses paying rates and council tax expected a service in return.
Adam Holding, who runs The Platform café and cookery school in the town, has fly traps around the building — and said keeping the doors closed and nets up meant the café often didn’t look open at all.
Some residents have suggested the area’s drains could be the source, claiming they are not cleaned as regularly as they once were. The council says there is no evidence to support that, and that its highway drain cleaning programme remains on schedule.
Cllr Aled Vaughan Owen of Carmarthenshire Council said the authority understood the concerns. “We understand the concerns raised by residents and businesses in parts of Llanelli regarding increased fly activity and appreciate the frustration this is causing,” he said.
He encouraged anyone affected to report it to the council, as reports help officers monitor the situation and target investigations. “Investigations remain ongoing and it is important that any conclusions are evidence-based,” he added. “However, residents can be reassured that significant officer time and resources are being devoted to this issue.”
