The owners of two Shropshire poultry farms could be hauled before the courts after tests showed they were responsible for a plague of flies that struck a village near Market Drayton.
Scientific tests were carried out after the flies were collected from homes at Stoke-on-Tern.
District council bosses had them analysed after more than 50 people packed a public meeting in the village to protest.
Resident Sean Allcock, of Langley Dale, had also called for action as the insects swarmed around his home, making his life a misery and upsetting his children.
North Shropshire District Council has now confirmed that laboratory tests prove the link to the nearby poultry farms.
They have threatened court action if something is not done.
In a letter to villagers district environmental health technician Debbie Ward said the report had been received from their consultant and two abatement notices had been served “on both Lloyds and Heals Poultry Farms in respect of a statutory fly nuisance”.
The notice contained steps that the farms should take immediately which should help to reduce fly numbers this year.
Mrs Ward said: “However, the majority of the steps required are long term management issues and may therefore not be fully appreciated until next year.
“As with all notices, the notice recipients can appeal against it if they think it is unjustified.”
The owners of Lloyds and Heals were today unavailable for comment.
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