Distressed mum-of-four battling to stop army of maggots invading home nightly (2024)

WARNING GRAPHIC IMAGES - The mum-of-four has to hose her garden in Plymouth down every night to stop the larvae infesting her home

Swarms of maggots have been worming their way into the home of a terrified mother-of-four who fears for the health of her family.

Distressed homeowner Kayleigh Manuel has been left hosing her garden down every night to stop the army of larvae invading her property .

Kayleigh, of Plymouth, believes the infestations came about after the council reduced bin collection from weekly to fortnightly a number of weeks ago.

She told The Plymouth Herald : "The bin isn't big enough for me.

"It fills up in a week and then it won't close and that's when the maggots come in.

"They end up in my hallway and my kitchen.

"It's mainly at night when they come out - it's damp then. The bin collection needs to go back to weekly."

In video footage captured by Kayleigh in her garden, the maggots are clearly visible, crawling on her paving, on her back door step, and collecting in clumps on her brown bin.

"I was up until gone 2am this morning hosing my garden," Kayleigh said, "I do that most nights.

"This has been ongoing for a while. I've phoned the council three times in the last two months to try and get a second bin, but I was told I don't fit the criteria and they won't give me a reason why.

"On the last occasion, they hung up on me. I'd be happy to pay for a bin, that is not the issue."

Kayleigh said she worries for the health of her four children, one of whom is disabled, and can't allow her toddler to crawl around for fear he may find a maggot on her carpet.

"My neighbour has the same problem. I've put the bin in the car park now, but it hasn't solved the issue," she said.

Maggots are fly larvae, usually of the common housefly and also the bluebottle. Flies are attracted to food and other rubbish and lay their eggs on the refuse. These eggs can then hatch in less that 24 hours.

"The main entrance to our building was covered in rubbish last week," Kayleigh said.

"Our green bin is fine, it's just the brown one that fills up very quickly."

Kayleigh's housing officer has reportedly written to her to say that she is entitled to another bin, but she says she has now been refused by the council three times.

"I was told the council would ring me back last Friday but they never did," she said.

"How can the council let people life like this?"

Plymouth City Council has declined to comment on this matter, but has contacted Kayleigh Manuell privately.