Residents across Culcheth, Croft and the surrounding areas are understandably fed up with swarms of flies turning ordinary life into an unpleasant daily battle. After more than a decade of complaints, the promised action from Warrington Council and the Environment Agency appears to have delivered rather less than residents were hoping for.
People say flies gather around food, invade kitchens and rush indoors whenever a door or window is opened. One resident described the situation as making life a misery, particularly when cooking or having visitors over and being asked why the kitchen is full of flies. That is not exactly the sort of dinner-party conversation anyone wants.
Another resident said it was a daily struggle to keep flies out, with windows kept shut or barely opened to allow any fresh air in. Even walking through an external door can apparently mean escorting a small airborne invasion indoors.
For years, some residents have suspected that waste disposal operations at Diggle Green Farm may be contributing to the problem. They say waste has regularly been left uncovered, worsening the fly issue in Culcheth, Croft and nearby communities.
When approached by the Warrington Guardian in October, Diggle Green Farm said it was aware of the allegations and took its environmental responsibilities seriously. The operator said it continued to work with the Environment Agency and Local Environmental Health.
However, correspondence between residents and the Environment Agency, seen by the Warrington Guardian, gives the situation considerably more bite. During an unannounced inspection at the farm at the end of April, officers found a significant number of flies on the surface of one waste pile, suggesting a potentially larger population within it.
The Environment Agency said this amounted to a breach of the site's Environmental Permit. It also recorded 23 complaints about fly activity in residential homes during April, all in the Culcheth area. Half of those reports were made between April 22 and April 25, followed by an unannounced visit on April 26.
Following that inspection, the operator introduced increased control measures. Reports of flies fell between May 3 and June 8, which is at least one encouraging sign in a story otherwise crawling with frustration. The Environment Agency has stopped short of confirming that Diggle Green Farm is solely responsible, but the timing is difficult to ignore.
Reports rose again over the weekend of July 8 and 9. The Environment Agency attended the site on July 12 to review the situation and discuss the pest management plan, but said it could not provide further details while investigations continue.
Flycatchers in the area are reportedly often full, which tells its own grim little story. The Environment Agency said it had received reports from residents in Culcheth over the previous few weeks and was continuing to work with the local authority to investigate the complaints and any impact on the local environment.
Diggle Green Farm has been approached for further comment. Residents, meanwhile, are left wondering how many more years of shut windows, ruined meals and unwanted flying guests it will take before the authorities deliver a lasting solution rather than another round of reassuring words.