It’s a glorious day and flies are plaguing residents in the Forge Rise area of Uckfield again.
Flies are out in force again in the Forge Rise area of Uckfield much to the annoyance of residents.
The recurring problem has been traced back to nearby sewage treatment works and Wealden Council’s environmental health officer says options for dealing with them are limited.
One resident, who took this photograph, said: “Beautiful day and our washing is on a clothes horse indoors and my husband is in the garden wearing a face mask. This really isn’t acceptable and something needs to be done.”
Sewage treatment works
The flies come from the Southern Water sewage treatment works off Bridge Farm Road when a chemical used to treat larvae is diluted by rain and surface water draining into the treatment works.
Environmental health officer Greg Minns said earlier this month: “Ultimately, it seems that there’s scope for some significant research into how to control these flies. Potentially with other biological controls. In the meantime, SW (Southern Water) and I will certainly keep trying to find solutions to this problem. But this is genuinely not an easy win.”
Read more about the problem here: No easy solution to flies problem in New Town, Uckfield