'Like a horror movie': Tiny flies plague South Downs village

People in Storrington report seeing the insects ‘everywhere’ and being hit in the face with them.

One has described the swarms of bugs as ‘like something out of a horror movie’ and another woman said they were driving her ‘potty.’

The bugs have been reported both inside homes and outside. Some describe them as fruit flies and others as ‘gnats.’

Storrington resident Lawrence Smith, 36, said: "I've definitely noticed a lot of gnats around recently. Every day there seem to be about five or six in my kitchen and I keep the window closed most of the time.

"I thought it was just because I'd left some fruit or vegetables in my bin, but I've been taking the rubbish out quite regularly over the past week and they just keep coming.

"They're difficult to get rid of too as you have to be quite quick to swat them.

"They're particularly irritating when they land on my TV or computer screen and then seem to disappear when I turn on the light to find them."

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Experts say that one way to get rid of fruit flies is to make traps: Fill the bottom of a small jar with a splash of wine or apple cider vinegar. Make a cone out of a piece of paper and put the cone on top of the jar with the narrow end pointing up. The wine attracts the flies and the cone keeps them in the jar.