A “biblical” swarm of flies descended on tourists and day trippers as they tried to enjoy a day at the beach in Blackpool.
The seaside town was packed with visitors who were in attendance to enjoy the Blackpool Air Show, when they were suddenly assaulted by the huge swarm.
One witness compared the sandfly invasion to one of the 10 Plagues of Egypt as dozens of people reached for newspapers to swat away the beasties.
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Sandfly bites cause small, itchy red bumps that can last for up to a week.
(Image: Kennedy News and Media)
North Wales Live spoke to Lindsay King, who was visiting the popular resort with 18-year-old son Keiron King to watch the Blackpool Air Show for his birthday.
The bakery worker was waiting with her son for the Typhoon display to pass overhead when suddenly a swarm of sandflies descended on them.
The 51-year-old whipped her phone out to document the chaotic scenes as hundreds of day-trippers, some clutching deck chairs and picnics, frantically batted them away.
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After a five-minute onslaught that the mum-of-three likened to one of the 10 Plagues of Egypt, the tiny blood suckers finally dispersed leaving everyone free to enjoy the show.
Lindsay, from Penrith in Cumbria, said: “It was hilarious, everybody was flapping around. It was biblical – like one of the 10 plagues.
“We were all waiting for the Typhoon display and then all of a sudden they just appeared. They came up over the bars and that was it – they hit the whole of the seafront at once and everyone was swatting away at them.
“It was really weird because one minute there was nothing there and the next it went crazy.”
The sandflies, which Lindsay believes made an appearance when the tide went out, engulfed the crowd and left her worrying two of the mini monstrosities had gone up her nose.
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