Warm weather prompts maggot plague

Sep 4 2008 By Ed Saunt

Anthony Foster

Maggots and flies are swarming bins in Spelthorne as residents say fortnightly rubbish collections are insufficient in humid weather.

Anthony Foster, of Cranford Avenue, Stanwell, has found himself sweeping maggots off his porch, while Andy Levett, of Oakfield Road, Ashford, about 4,000 flies in two months in traps in his garden.

Mr Foster was putting out his empty milk bottles one evening last week when he spotted maggots crawling all over the place.

He said: "I got a torch and shone it on my path, which was covered in them. It was like the floor was moving. I then shone it into on my next door neighbour's garden and there were maggots dropping off his rubbish bin.

"It was horrible. I got a broom out but it was just like sweeping pebbles off my path but it's not helped. They are all over the place."

Mr Foster and his neighbour, whose bin they think the maggots originated in, contacted Spelthorne Council to remove the rubbish. However, it said they would have to wait until their next scheduled collection on  September 9.

Mr Foster added: "Surely it's a health hazard – it seems ridiculous."

Meanwhile, Mr Levett has been battling insects of a more mature kind – his garden has been blighted by flies. He claims the problem stretches across the borough and must be related to the fortnightly bin collections.

It is almost a year since the council moved from weekly waste collections to the current alternate rubbish and recycling pick ups.

Mr Levett, who keeps chickens in his garden, thinks he has caught about 4,000 flies in traps in the past two months, compared with just a few hundred in previous years.

He said: "I have never seen so many flies and it seems lots of other people have noticed it too. I'm sure it's because the bins aren't being collected every week."

Council head of direct services, Steve Connor, said: "We have had a few problems but we have not had that many complaints. We won't go back outside of refuse collection week but would advise people to make sure their food waste is wrapped before going in the bin."

What do you think? Is it time to reinstate weekly bin collections? Should special arrangements be made in warm weather, or would it cost too much? Post a comment below.