Residents near a brook in Bury say have been left "inundated with flies" after the water below their homes became stagnant.
Residents of Prospect Terrace, near Brandlesholme Road, say a small part of Woodhill Brook, which flows below their apartment has been left overgrown and full of litter, causing insects to infest their apartments.
They have complained that the Elton Feeder Channel, which is managed by the Canal and River Trust, was dredged by the trust before the pandemic but was once free flowing but now unruly with little wildlife left.
Residents say the overgrown vegetation and still water is attracting flies and millipedes into their apartments, leaving them unable to open their windows.
The view of the canal feeder from the nearby flats (Image: Amanda Ryder)
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Amanda Ryder, 55, has been living in her flat on prospect terrace with her husband and daughter for just over a year and has called the brook feeder, “an eyesore".
She said: “When we moved in it was post-Covid, and we spoke to some of the residents who said before Covid, the (brook feeder) was free running with wildlife.
“What’s happening now is we get worms in our apartment, and we get really bad black flies.
“Even when we look up the road you can’t see out apartment as it’s so overgrown.”
Amanda said a representative from the Canal and River Trust came to look at the feeder in May this year, but nothing has yet been done to solve the issue.
Residents say insects have infested their homes (Image: Amanda Ryder)
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“Flies were all over the walls”, she added.
“Last year in the summer we couldn’t open our windows, you can’t sit in the outside area, it’s just disgusting.”
Another resident, who asked not to be named, said the overgrown brook has led to “an infestation” in her bedroom and spare room.
She said: “I am finding 15-20 millipedes every day and also woodlice, silver fish and other insects which is becoming unhygienic and not a suitable place to live on my own.
“Woodlice feed off rotting vegetation and fungi which is clearly attracting them from the overgrowth, and millipedes also are attracted to damp conditions so clearly this is creating a breeding area for them.
What the brook feeder looked like before 2020 (Image: Amanda Ryder)
“The canal trust has said the brook is a 'feeder' which has been switched off and therefore no water is flowing and it’s disgusting to be honest, I know there’s not much you can do but I’m sick of living like this and contemplating selling my apartment, having only moved in a couple of months ago, because of the insects!”
Residents say they want the feeder cleaned up for hygiene as well as safety reasons, especially after a resident’s dog fell into the water, forcing its owners to rescue it.
“Its not only an eyesore but it goes against everything the canal and river trust is meant to be doing”, Amanda added.
When contacted for comment a spokesperson for the Canal and Rivers Trust confirmed it manages the Elton Feeder Channel which runs over Woodhill Brook.
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It did not respond directly to the Bury Times for comment, but a spokesperson sent a statement directly to Amanda via social media.
It said: "As a charity, the Canal and River Trust is faced with soaring costs of looking after the region’s ageing canals at a time when available funding is stretched.
"We must prioritise maintaining the core fabric of the waterways, including the thousands of locks, bridges, aqueducts, reservoirs and other historic structures that make up the canal network.
"We are currently required by the Reservoirs Act to hold down the water levels in Elton Reservoir for safety reasons while we carry out some work.
"Elton feeder channel, which runs alongside Wharfside Apartments, runs into the reservoir so has had to be dammed off and, unfortunately, this lack of flow can make water stagnate.
"Once works at the reservoir are completed, which could be some years, we will reopen the channel if it is safe to do so.
"The banks are owned by the landowners, so residents should get in touch with the management company to deal with bankside vegetation issues.
"The government’s recent announcement of cuts to the future funding provided to the trust and continued lack of provision for inflation, meaning a reduction of over £300m in funding in real terms over a 10-year period, significantly deepens these challenges.
"We are asking all those who care about the canals to join our campaign to Keep Canals Alive and write to their local MP to share their concerns."
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