HOMEOWNERS IN LEAMINGTON SPA, SAY THEY ARE UNABLE TO GO OUTSIDE OR OPEN THEIR WINDOWS AS THEY ARE PLAGUED BY A 'RANCID TOXIC SMELL' AND CAN'T EAT DINNER WITHOUT FLIES CRAWLING

INTO THEIR MOUTHS 08:47, 03 Jun 2025 Inhabitants of the affluent Royal town are up in arms over a "nightmarish" fly infestation that has made summers an "absolute hell",

with claims it's "ruining people's lives". Leamington Spa residents, weary from being besieged indoors due to the flies which invade their homes, invade mouths, and are

even said to 'choke babies in cots', have reached breaking point. Several folks have packed up and left the prestigious Warwickshire town, desperate to escape the issue that's

The crisis was tabled in the House of Commons by Warwick and Leamington MP Matt Western, who declared the dilemma – tormenting roughly 10,000 locals – a "public health risk". The

plague is said to have begun three years back but has taken a turn for the worse each year, escalating in fly numbers and accompanied by a vile raw sewage stench enveloping the district.

Article continues below Those residing near Heathcote claim their gardens are no-go zones, as they cloak their houses in fly strips and zappers in defence. Fingers are pointed at a nearby

recycling facility, run by Amcor (previously Berry Circular Polymers) and regulated by the Environment Agency, as the source of their hardships. Maureen Kerr, a 64 year old foster mother

living locally for three years, laments that the problems started only after this new plant opened its doors. The 64 year old grandmother of six shared her distressing experience: "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, aged 65, lamented that once the flies invade your home, it's a Herculean task to drive them out. The

gran-of-six lamented further: "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." Locals have been thrown into disarray with a horrific fly infestation, rendering barbecues a no-go due to the risk of swarming flies

contaminating the food. Richard Manly, a 37 year old local welder, described the current situation: "It's been really nightmarish really, these flies have left people gagging and

choking, even kids and babies in their cots and beds." He further added, "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." Commenting on the economic impact, he mentioned, "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 similar issues because of both the flies and the smell." Retired cleaning

business owner Robert Horley has found the reeking odour unbearable when stepping outside. The 69 year old father recounted his plight: "We have the problem every year and it lasts for

months." Explaining the severity, he continued, "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." He detailed distress at local establishments: "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." Conveying the invasive nature of the infestation, he lamented, "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?". Residents are kicking up a stink over an odour they claim is

emanating from a local site, described as a mix between "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." One local shared their ordeal: "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." Frustration is mounting as the council and environment agency are accused of passing

the buck: "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, weighed in on the matter: "It's the recycling business. Someone said the waste comes dirty and it attracts the

flies." Another person affected by the situation near the unit said: "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." Locals are lamenting their loss of comfort at home: "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." In a passionate address to parliament, Mr Western recounted the plight of his constituents two weeks ago: "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." He painted a grim picture of the impact: "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." Mr Western highlighted the severity of the issue: "That is the reality for hundreds of

families in one part my constituency." An MP has painted a bleak picture of their constituents' plight, suggesting around 10,000 folks in south Warwick, south Leamington and

Whitnash are affected: "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." Detailing the dire

situation, they described how residents have contended with relentless invasions of flies and horrifying stenches for years: "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." The MP highlighted the distress caused by having to

continuously wipe down kitchen surfaces to get rid of fly excrement which clings to walls as well: "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." Insisting that such living conditions are unacceptable, the MP posed a compelling question to

fellow parliamentarians: "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." The troubling issue of sickness and relocation was also brought up, indicating serious implications on health and well-being: "People are getting ill, and some residents

are actually selling up." Descriptive language was used to convey the intensity of the odour problems troubling the constituents, being associated with the foulest scents imaginable:

"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'." The narrative was rife with reports of exasperation over the seemingly inescapable stench: "Many have told me that the smell is utterly unbearable."

Article continues below In response, an Environment Agency spokesperson assured the public of their commitment: "We are committed to ensuring that people and the environment are

protected." The agency has been proactive in the Leamington Spa region, with a spokesperson stating: "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." Meanwhile, a representative for Berry Circular Polymers has acknowledged the situation, saying: "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."