Complaints over maggot infestation in Melksham hostel

The problems at the warden-controlled hostel in Kingsbury Square, Melksham, have been ongoing every summer for the past five years or more.

It has been made worse this year by the recent hot summer weather conditions which have enabled flies to lay their eggs in bins outside the hostel.

Residents have complained about maggots crawling along the hallway into their rooms after coming through the front door or cracks in the floor.

Maggots crawling towards the resident's studio flat in the Kingsbury Square hostel in Melksham. (Image: Jon Hubbard)

One resident, who does not wish to be named, complained to his local MP Brian Mathew and Wiltshire Council member Cllr Jon Hubbard about the issue.

The resident said: “These maggots are literally everywhere in my flat even around my bed.

“I am having to clean up using an electric mop several times a day just to try and keep on top, this includes the corridor outside my residence.

“I have complained to Wiltshire Council. If I kept a dog in conditions like that I would be taken to court. I have even found maggots burrowing into my rug on the floor.

“I have tried pulling out all the ones that I can find but those that I can’t are now turning into flies.

“Not only is it unsavoury but also surely a health risk.”

The council-run and warden-controlled hostel in Kingsburty Square, Melksham, has suffered another maggot infestation. (Image: Trevor Porter)

The council installed a brush under his door to try and keep them out but the man said they still manage to find a way into his flat.

Cllr Hubbard has written to Phil Alford, the Wiltshire Council cabinet member for housing, asking for urgent action to address the issue.

He said: “The photos I have seen are stomach-churning. It is shocking we have got someone that we are asking to live in these conditions.”

The bin store at the rear of the Kingsbury Square hostel in Melksham. (Image: Trevor Porter)

Cllr Alford said: “We have been dealing with annual problems with maggots for several years in one location in Kingsbury Square.

“We have taken various actions to identify the source of the maggots and treat the problem with the council’s pest control team.

“Work undertaken to date includes inspections of roof spaces, CCTV surveys of the drainage system, smoke tests to identify any leaks or breaches in the fabric of the building, pest control applications including pesticide dust and re-laying of the floors to provide an ‘enclosed’ environment.

“The problem with maggots is uncommon and we are currently unsure what is causing this."