The couple’s home was “taken over” by thousands of flies, making them embarrassed to have guests

Angela Hickey, 68, and John Hickey, 79, claim their home in Stanmore, Middlesex, where they have lived for 43 years, has now been taken over by thousands of drain flies and they are too embarrassed to have visitors

A couple say their home, which was more than four decades old, was invaded by flies and are so embarrassed they are refusing to let anyone inside.

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

The couple from Stanmore, Middlesex, claim their housing association has not satisfactorily resolved the problem.

The couple were moved to a hotel after the association said it would fumigate the property and pull out the kitchen to determine the source of the problem.

But when they returned home, Angela and John claimed they found minimal work had been done – and the flies were still on the property.

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

The Home Group Housing Association said its team “did everything possible to try to resolve the issue.”

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

“It’s gotten to the point where we’ve eaten and they’ve flown in your mouth and flown down your throat — they’re in our closets, our fridge, in literally everything, there’s no pause anywhere.

“I wouldn’t even go into the kitchen if you’re trying to make a meal and they land on it, everything has to go in the bin.

“My husband will soon be eighty and has a backache, but he spends all the time he has getting equipment from the kitchen to remove hundreds of dead flies underneath.”

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

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

Then they noticed the flies at night, the so-called housing association saying they couldn’t help due to Covid restrictions.

That means a maintenance worker was not dispatched to the property until April 2021, according to the couple.

But by this point, Angela and John say, the infestation has gotten significantly worse.

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

The couple claim the pipes weren’t sealed properly when they were installed – leaving room for the flies.

Another contractor was sent to seal the pipes – but long enough for the flies to settle elsewhere in the apartment.

The numbers of flies began to increase dramatically and were found throughout the property including the bedroom and kitchen.

The property was said to have been gassed several times, but the flies continued to appear in the apartment.

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

However, when they returned they found that the kitchen was still in the same condition, only some pipes under the sink showed signs of being resealed and the apartment was fumigated again.

Louise Barkes, Home Group’s Head of Maintenance, said: “We are sorry to hear that our customers are unhappy with the way we have attempted to resolve their issue.

“Despite the fact that these types of issues are the responsibility of our customers, the team has made every effort to try and resolve the issue.

“We conducted five pest control audits and engaged three different pest control companies – we worked very closely with Harrow’s environmental health department, who commended us for our tenacity.”