Warning of fly plague in next five years

Plagues of flies will swarm across Britain in the next five years, experts warned today.

A report by a biological scientist forecasts huge increases in the UK's fly population due to global warming.

Dr Dave Goulson, from Southampton University's School of Biological Sciences, says this could mean the UK fly population will grow by 97 per cent.

He bases his predictions on research monitoring fly numbers in different parts of the country and relating them to weather conditions and temperatures.

He then used the comprehensive data in a computer model to predict what would happen as a result of increases in temperature.

Dr Goulson said: "It is impossible to say how many flies there are in the UK today, but from my localised studies I have found that increased temperatures can radically alter the numbers.

"Warmer temperatures will mean that a fly can grow from egg to adult in about 10 days, compared with the 30 days it takes in Britain at present. "It is impossible to say exactly what will happen to the UK fly population because it depends on what global warming does. What I can say is that if temperatures rise by a few degrees it will have a significant effect on the number of flies in the UK."