POSTMEN did not deliver to a Bournemouth road because it is overrun with midges from a water treatment plant.

Royal Mail suspended deliveries for a day to Francis Avenue in West Howe, which is next to the Sembcorp Bournemouth site.

Bournemouth Council’s environmental health department has also issued Sembcorp with an abatement notice after complaints from residents.

Resident Peter Coales, 74, a retired finance director, said: “We have had this for 20 years. They sprayed the hedges a few years ago but not recently.

“It’s the breeding season at the moment apparently – it’s been unbelievable the last week.

“There are just masses of them.”

Pauline Kench, 31, a bookkeeper who works on the road, said: “It’s horrible.

“There’s been a problem for years. You see swarms of them attacking people as they come up the drive.”

She said the postman told her said Royal Mail would stop deliveries from Monday. However a Royal Mail spokesman said deliveries would continue. They confirmed there were no deliveries on Wednesday due to the problem.

A Bournemouth council spokesman said Sembcorp has 21 days to sort out the situation.

If the problem is not resolved, the council could bring a prosecution.

Resident Frank Newman, 80, a retired motor fitter, said: “There are swarms of them.

“But we have to come through them and I think the postmen should have to do the same.”

Plant operations manager Tony Read said in a statement: “Unfortunately at certain times of the year the standing water can give rise to a large number of midges.

“They don’t bite and only live for a short period.

“We do undertake initiatives to minimise their number, but regrettably it is impossible to completely remove them.

“Radical methods to kill the midges cannot be performed as we cannot compromise our fundamental role, which is to supply to our customers clean and wholesome water.”