Clouds of flies from crumbling St Paul’s plague city shopkeepers

May 12 2006 Keith Downie

A PLAGUE of flies emanating from ramshackle St Paul’s Church is making life a misery for Fair City traders.

Shop owners at St Paul’s Square say their businesses are being hit hard by an invasion of insects circling the dilapidated old church at the top of Perth’s High Street.

The B-listed building has caused headaches for Perth and Kinross Council since it closed in 1986, and now shop keepers in the vicinity of the 200-year-old building are scratching their own heads as they puzzle what to do next.

Angry Barbara Hind (54), who has owned Internet Cafe Gig@Bite on St Paul’s Square for six years, described the church — which now has a birch tree and many plants growing from it — as “a blot on the Fair City’s landscape”.

And she says the fly infestation on her premises is an environmental health hazard.

“My shop is right next to the church and it is infested with flies.

“We’ve had to fit fly traps but they can’t cope with the amount of insects we get in here.

“If you open the door for five minutes the place becomes invaded. People don’t want to use our facilities and others are scared to walk past such is the problem.

“I can see where people are coming from. I wouldn’t want flies landing in my hair and crawling over my screen when I’m trying to use the computer.

“Thank God we don’t serve food in here, I don’t want to think how bad the infestation would be then.

“It’s an environmental hazard and the hot weather makes it all the worse. God knows what diseases the flies are carrying.”

The fly scourge has become so bad that neighbouring Estate Agents McCabe and Hunter had to call in pest control to put up mesh windows and spray the interior walls with disinfectant.

Barbara, of Letham, says the pest control haven’t visited the church itself since last summer.

St Paul’s, which was placed on the Buildings at Risk Register in July 2004, has been the subject of various failed attempts to change its use, ranging from a cinema or archaeology centre to a bar/restaurant food outlet.

It has been estimated that it would cost nearly £2 million to convert the old church, which is owned by AOC Archaeology of Loanhead, Midlothian.

Gutters are broken, water often pours down the side of the building and tree roots are growing through the lime mortar walls.

“The last time pest control went into the church they went in with white suits and masks on,” Barbara added.

“They told us that there were mummified cats, dead pigeons, rats and mice inside the building.

“You watch pigeons fly in and out of the church every day. I would hate to think what it’s like inside.”

Bill MacGregor of second hand shop Yesterday Today on adjoining South Methven Street said: “It’s very unsightly and it is a real health and safety issue.

“There are dead birds, animals and rising damp inside. It’s becoming very dangerous.

“It looks terrible right on the doorstep of the tourist information centre. The sad thing is it’s Perth that will lose out in the long run.”

No-one from owners AOC Archaeology or Perth and Kinross Council was available for comment.

kdownie@s-un.co.uk