VILLAGERS who claim flies are making their lives a misery have warned they will not be “fobbed off” after officials suggested the outbreak could be a natural phenomenon.

A council has written to residents of Finghall, near Bedale, North Yorkshire, explaining what steps it has taken after receiving complaints about the problem.

Villagers say they have been driven to tears by thousands of flies entering their homes, while some have even discussed moving house if the problem is not resolved.

David Armitage, environmental health officer at Richmondshire District Council, told villagers the species had been identified as the common housefly.

He said staff had hung fly papers to assess the extent of the problem.

Officers had also visited local chicken farms to look for the source of the outbreak.

Mr Armitage added: “Once we have visited farms and looked for other potential breeding sites we will review our findings and decide whether or not there is evidence to take any further action.

“However, we cannot discount the possibility that this is a natural phenomenon associated with this year’s weather conditions.”

But Fleur Butler, district councillor and resident of Finghall, said residents were worried not enough was being done to tackle the issue.

She added that flies had been a problem for several years, suggesting it was not just a result of this year’s weather.

“The village doesn’t want to be fobbed off because they did a bit of work, discovered they were houseflies and visited a few farms.

“Are they going to monitor the village to see which areas the problem is worse? Is it feasible to spray around the village?

“We want them to be ready and waiting as soon as the flies hatch in June.”

Mrs Butler said she spent two hours cleaning up dead flies after spraying her kitchen with fly killer recently.

“Within that two hours the room was full again – we’re talking about thousands of flies.”

Another Finghall resident, who asked not to be named, said villagers rejected suggestions the flies were there because the village was surrounded by countryside.

“I have lived in the country all my life and this number of flies is far from usual,” he said.