From wasps to maggots, here's the five worst infestations to have struck Kent
Published: 00:01, 26 September 2014
No one likes infestations – fleas, mice, spiders – if there’s lots of something somewhere it shouldn’t be, you’ve got a problem.
From the annoying to the stomach-churning, here’s five infestations we hope never to experience:
Householders in Aylesford had a problem of biblical proportions when a plague of flies descended on the village.
Despite scouring the neighbourhood for overflowing bins or other earthly explanations, no reason could be found for the swarm.
But while some may have been tempted to suggest Aylesford unintentionally provoked the wrath of God, the village suffered neither the death of livestock nor broke out in boils, so the infestation remains unexplained.
It makes you itchy just thinking about it, but young mum Chelby Nolan was forced to quit her council home after it was infested with fleas.
The fleas were only part of the problem according to Chelby, who also said she found dried dog faeces under the carpet, and loose wires hanging from the ceiling.
Unsurprisingly, she was advised to leave the property.
This is truly stomach churning… if you’re eating, whatever you do, don’t play the video. Really.
Cat lover Michelle Cavalli opened this tin of pet food only to be met by sight of maggots writhing through the putrid meat.
Unfortunately, Miss Cavalli thinks her 14-year-old son inadvertently fed their four cats with a can of food from the same batch.
All the cats - Charlie, Keith, Maud and Tarquin - were ill for the next couple of days, but luckily suffered no long-lasting effects.
Children walking to school in Canterbury were upset to discover a well-used path infested with rats.
The large rodents scurried about the area in broad daylight, scavenging for food, upsetting dog walkers and re-enacting that scene from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.
The problem got so bad that Canterbury council called their pest control officer in to trap the animals.
You know how some people jump out of their chairs and run around waving their arms about when a wasp comes anywhere near them?
That’s not something you’ll find Alan and Ruby Wood from Tenterden doing.
The laid-back couple watched wasps coming and going from their attic all summer, little suspecting what the insects were up to.
The swarm was in fact constructing a massive 3ft by 2ft nest.
But it goes to show the people who don’t get stung are the ones who sit there quietly enjoying their pint while everyone else goes crazy.
The wasps died off naturally in Autumn and the nest was removed, and donated to a local school.
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KentOnline reporter