Stanwell residents bugged by Midges

Mar 31 2009 By Mark Goode

Stanwell residents are demanding action over swarms of Midges plaguing homes near Queen Mary Reservoir.

Each Spring and Summer the Chironomids numbering in the hundreds of thousands hatch from the large body of water and plague home-owners in the area while they mate.

People living along Viola Avenue, in Stanwell, are calling for Thames Water to take action after saying their lives have been ruined by the bugs.

Donna Hunter said: “I have been here for five years and we get it each summer. They get everywhere, in your clothes, your hair, food, and when you come home from work they are on the floor. You can't get in the garden and can't put washing out, and sometimes you find them on your bedsheets. It is disgusting.”

Donna said she can't open the door on a hot summer's evening in case the insects get in and spends around £200 in velcro and mesh to place over windows.

Motorcyclist Phil Webb, who was visiting his sister in Viola Avenue, said: “I was driving along and my helmet got covered in the insects. On a hot day I like to keep my visor open, but they would blind me if I went through here. It could be dangerous.”

A Spokeswoman from Thames Water said they are aware of the nuisance the bugs called, but said not much can be done to control their numbers: “Unfortunately as the insects naturally occur near all areas of open water, it is impossible to completely eradicate them and legal limitations prevent us from using insecticides to control them.”

She added the bugs were harmless and couldn't bite, but said as the reservoir is a site of special scientific interest (SSSI) they have a statutory duty to protect all species.

“The midges are an essential part of the food chain, providing food for birds and other wildlife. Attempts to eradicate them would have a
significant impact on local wildlife".

Donna said: “What I don't understand is how it can get worse and worse each year. Thames Water say it is a conservation area, and they have to protect other wildlife, but we are human beings and the bugs are making life hard. They are everywhere.”