When a woman found her home infested with flies last summer, she might have been forgiven for thinking she’d had her fair share of bad luck…

Sadly, because she had left the property vacant due to her anxiety over the flies, her bad luck was far from over.

When Katie Higgins’ mother returned to the address, to collect her daughter’s post, she found that squatters had taken over the property, and were involved in “trashing the place” as they did so.

Katie had already been the victim of theft whilst living in the flat, as her carpets had been stolen when she first moved in.

The constant threat of gangs outside the block had put her on edge too, with fireworks even being fired at the flat on occasion, and the sense of fear growing on an annual basis.

The fly infestation was the final straw for Katie, who took the decision to sofa surf and even spent time sleeping in tents in parks as a result.

It’s fair to say that it has been six years of hell, but the landlord, Cheltenham Borough Homes, who Katie says have been no help, claim to be supporting Katie as best they can.

As for the squatters, Katie says that they are using the flat as a place to prepare drugs by “cooking up crack…”

Not ideal.

They also seem to have rummaged through her belongings, stealing anything of any worth that was left behind.

At #TeamCES, we sympathise with Katie’s situation, but we also know that more could have been done to help her regain control of her flat.

We offer a highly successful squatter removal service, and feel it’s something that Cheltenham Borough Homes are clearly in need of.

You should call pest control for fly infestations, but always call #TeamCES for infestations of the human kind, as we know exactly how to go about solving that kind of problem.

No, we don’t use giant fly paper and fly swats…