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Shock as wasps nest bursts through ceiling of Wednesfield home

Emma Thickbroom thought she had a leak in her home when she started hearing a tickling sound in the wall. So the mother-of-one was in for a shock when she heard a loud crack before her living room at her home in Wolverhampton was filled with wasps.

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She says she 'thousands' of them invaded the property in Castlebridge Gardens, Wednesfield, forcing her to take refuge elsewhere.

Her landlords, Wolverhampton Homes, said they had 'never seen anything like it before'.

Miss Thickbroom, who lives with her two-year-old son Cody, said: "I was sitting in the living room with Cody and we heard a bit of a ticking noise, it got louder and louder."

Emma and her son Cody look at where the wasps came in

"This crack made a right noise, and next minute all these wasps came flying out."

The wasps nest is in the ceiling of the living room, it is not known for sure how they got inside but they managed to get into the living room through the felt in the bay window.

"It's terrible. There were thousands of them," she added.

Taking refuge at her neighbour's house, Miss Thickbroom had initially been told by Wolverhampton Homes she would have to cover the cost of removing the wasps herself even though she felt it was not her responsibility as she had only lived there for seven months.

Hundreds of insects on the floor

Miss Thickbroom said it would cost at least £45 for someone to get rid of them.

However, after seeing photos of the wasp-filled room Wolverhampton Homes changed its mind.

Director of housing Mark Henderson said: "We don't provide a pest control service – that's normally the tenant's responsibility. But in this case, having seen the sheer number of wasps, we're happy to step in and help."

"I'm not sure we've ever seen as many wasps as this before - it's quite extraordinary. We're in contact with the tenant and we have made arrangements to deal with the problem as soon as possible."

The insects littered window sills

Miss Thickbroom said pest control officers had been to the house to remove the wasps, and during clean up they filled a shopping bag with them.

More work is being carried out this week to remove the nest and more wasps from the ceiling which Miss Thickbroom fears will the property 'a right mess."

She is camping out on the floor of her parents house while the work is completed.

A closer view of the hole

A mature wasp nest in summer can contain thousands of wasps. They make their nests from chewed wood pulp and saliva, giving them distinctive papery walls, and usually build them in sheltered spots with easy access to the outside.

Wasp nests can be found in wall cavities, roof spaces, under eaves, in bird boxes, sheds or garages.

The nests can make a scratching, popping or crackling noise when the young wasps are moving around.

A local mother and her young son had to vacate their house after the living room was taken over by wasps.

Emma Thickbroom said a ticking sound could be heard in the wall of her Castlebridge Gardens home for the past few months, but she had thought it was a leak.

Having had the Wednesfield house checked by owners Wolverhampton Homes and being told there was no leak, it came as quite a shock when she heard a loud "crack" before her living room was filled by a swarm of wasps.

"I was sitting in the living room with my little one and we heard a bit of a ticking noise...it got louder and louder."

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