Litter caused fly invasion at Doncaster home

A resident whose home was invaded by hundreds of flies claims littering problems in her neighbourhood are to blame.
Rubbish dumped in an alleyway near Littlemoor Lane, BalbyRubbish dumped in an alleyway near Littlemoor Lane, Balby
Rubbish dumped in an alleyway near Littlemoor Lane, Balby

Gail Bell said she was nearly in tears when she was faced with the sight of hundreds of flies buzzing around her kitchen.

Mrs Bell, of Littlemoor Lane in Balby, says the problem is a result of continuous littering and fly-tipping in alleyways near her home.

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She said: “I walked into the kitchen and there were hundreds of flies, it took a full can of fly spray to get rid of them. My two dogs, Bonnie and Bella, were in there and the flies were just buzzing round them and they were just looking up at me as if to say ‘What’s going on?’

“I could’ve cried.”

Mrs Bell, who has lived here for 36 years, said the problem has been getting worse for the last few months.

She added: “The alleyways in Orchard Street and First Avenue are constantly filled with bags of rubbish, discarded furniture, prams, you name it.

“I complain to the council all the time but nothing seems to get done – everyone in the street is up in arms about it.

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“I’ve lived here for 36 years and don’t want it to end up like the Bronx.”

Mrs Bell said the situation was so bad she could no longer enjoy sitting in her garden.

She added: “We’ve spent a lot of money on the garden and now we feel like we can’t even use it because the smells from the alleyways are so bad. We can’t have a barbecue and it’s just getting worse in this hot weather.”

The grandmother has called for tougher penalties for tenants and landlords to be imposed in a bid to crack down on the issue.

Doncaster Council was unavailable for comment.

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The incident comes after it was revealed more than 20,000 residents each year complain about the state of the town’s streets.

The Star is putting the borough’s grot spots under the spotlight this week in a series of articles in an effort to help crack down on the problem.