UK couple say they can't have family over due to FLY infestation

A couple say their home of more than four decades has been invaded by FLIES - and they're so embarrassed they refuse to let anyone in.

Angela Hickey, 68, and John Hickey, 79, claim the property they have lived in for 43 years has now been taken over by thousands of drain flies.

And the couple, from Stanmore, Middlesex, allege that their housing association has not dealt with the problem satisfactorily.

The pair were moved into a hotel after the association said they would fumigate the property and pull the kitchen out to assess the source of the problem.

But, when they returned home, Angela and John claim they found minimal work had been done - and the flies were still in the property.

And, nearly 18 months since they first noticed the flies, they are still trying to get rid of them.

Home Group Housing Association said its team had "gone over and above to try to resolve the issue".

But Angela claimed: “It’s so embarrassing and means we can’t let anyone in to the house – we had a new grandson born in January 2021 and couldn’t have him here as I wouldn’t do that to a child.

“It’s got to the stage where we were eating and they would fly into your mouth and go down your throat – they're in our cupboards, our fridge, in literally everything, there’s no respite anywhere.

“I wouldn't even go in the kitchen, when you’re trying to prepare a meal and they land on it the whole lot has to go in the bin.

“My husband is coming up to eighty and has a bad back yet he’s spending all of the time he has pulling out appliances in the kitchen to clean up hundreds of dead flies underneath them.”

The couple moved into the property - which is currently owned by Home Group Housing Association - in 1979, when it was first built.

They first noticed the flies in November 2020, which they put down to an anomaly and didn’t think too much of it.

They then started to notice the flies at night, so called the housing association who said they were unable to help due to Covid restrictions.

This means it wasn’t until April 2021 that a maintenance worker was sent to the property.

But, by this time, the couple say the infestation had become significantly worse.

The flies were mostly in the bathroom which had previously been converted into a wet room due to Angela’s disability.

The couple claim that, when it had been installed, the pipes hadn’t been sealed correctly - leaving space for the flies to appear.

Another contractor was sent out to seal up the pipes - however it had been left so long that the flies had established themselves elsewhere in the flat.

The number of flies began to dramatically increase and were found all over the property, including the bedroom and kitchen.

The property was fumigated several more times - but the flies continued to appear in the flat.

And it was at this point Angela says Home Group Housing Association made the decision to move the couple into a hotel while they pulled the kitchen out to investigate the source of the flies.

However, they say when they returned, they found that the kitchen was still in the same state, with just some pipes under the sink showing signs of being resealed and the flat having been fumigated again.

Now, the couple say they are still plagued by the drain flies and are at a loss on how to resolve the issue.