FIRST came the ladybirds, then the wasps - now Catfield has been blighted by a plague of flies.The insects are forcing villagers to keep their windows closed and finding their way into houses, causing hygiene problems.

FIRST came the ladybirds, then the wasps - now Catfield has been blighted by a plague of flies.

The insects are forcing villagers to keep their windows closed and finding their way into houses, causing hygiene problems.

Carolyn Sayer, of New Road, said: “It makes you feel really dirty. When you are making dinner you have to keep everything covered, even when you're serving the meals, because the flies get into everything. You want to sit outside, you want to have barbecues and enjoy the good weather, but you just can't.

“I went to Stalham to get fly traps or killers - I would have taken anything they had - and the woman in the shop asked me if I was from Catfield. She said the shop had been cleared out.”

North Norfolk District Council environmental health manager Chris Cawley said: “We first got a complaint about a large number of flies in the New Road area of Catfield on July 22. A local chicken farm was highlighted as a possible source, and they have confirmed they have a larger numbers of flies than normal.

“They are undertaking fly control measures.”