A waste disposal company is under investigation after villagers were plagued with flies.

People living around Glazewing's depot at West Dereham, near Downham Market, claim swarms of insects have invaded their homes during hot recent weather.

The Environment Agency said: 'We have been receiving a large number of reports of fly nuisances from the local residents in and around West Dereham, Norfolk, which is in the vicinity of the waste management company Glazewing.

'As such, we are investigating the company to ascertain the source of the fly nuisance and to mitigate any effects it is having on local residents.'

Villagers have taken to social media calling for the firm to act, claiming a backlog of food waste has piled up during the heatwave.

Richard Stimson, compliance officer with Glazewing, said: 'There have been some breakdowns at the processing plant which has caused the build up.' He added waste was now being removed from the site and taken to other locations.

Mr Stimson said the firm had increased the number of times it sprayed its premises with insecticide from once to three or four times a day during the heatwave.

One villager from Stoke Ferry said: 'Since the warmer weather has arrived villages close to Glazewing - West Dereham, Wereham, Wretton and Stoke Ferry - have had a serious fly problem.

'The Environment Agency has been notified and then went to investigate down at Glazewing where there were thousands of flies from food waste they have sitting around and are not disposing of quick enough. There is still a major problem.'

At the height of the infestation last week, one woman living near the site said on social media: 'Fly situation bad.

'Have six papers hanging in kitchen. Put up at 1am today and all covered in flies.'

Another added: 'Seriously had enough of this now. I'm going on the warpath.'

Villagers have twice been told to keep their windows closed over the last year after waste caught fire on the site, on the banks of the Cut Off Channel.

Some 500 tonnes of municipal waste went up in flames in January, while 13 fire engines were called to put out a major blaze at Glazewing last August.