THE chairman of Westbury Area Board has assured residents that they are doing all they can to avoid huge swarms of flies returning to the town after reports of them already returning.
Cllr Russell Hawker has made it clear that everything will be done to avoid a repeat of last summer when flies plagued the town leading to criticism that the situation could have been avoided.
The reassurance comes after several sightings of flies has again been reported in Westbury in the past week. The recent influx of flies is alarming due to the numbers they have been seen in and because flies are not usually around in March.
In a letter to the White Horse News, cllr Hawker said,”I would like to reassure everyone that the area board remains fully on the case with regard to the huge swarm of flies that occurred last Summer in many parts of Westbury. I say this because there appears to be a relatively early reappearance of some flies this year which have been reported to us Wiltshire councillors by several local people already.
“We are in little doubt about where the main source of the flies originated from last year. This issue was fully discussed in public at an area board meeting last August when specialists from the Environment Agency, Wiltshire Council’s public protection department and Hills.
“The area board is continuing to monitor this issue and we will be kept up-to-date by Wiltshire Council’s public protection department and pest control team as any relevant events occur. Local people can also feel free to approach any local councillor to discuss the issue, but my main concern for now is making sure that the right Wiltshire Council technical officers get all the relevant details first so they can react as promptly as needed.”
If anyone has any new concerns about flies, they should report the details to Wiltshire Council customer services at email: publicprotectionwest@wiltshire.gov.uk or tel. 0300 456 0100.