RESIDENTS in West Lavington were buzzing with fury on Sunday when they were told Kennet District Council could not help them deal with a huge swarm of bees that had gathered near their homes.

They were told to phone back the following day.

A swarm, at least 20,000 strong, congregated in a chimney at Eastfield on Sunday afternoon. Having had a similar visitation in the past, householder Maggie Miles knew the only thing to do was to smoke them out.

Burning newspaper in the hearth soon did the trick and the swarm flew out and settled on a rowan tree nearby.

But the tree overhangs a footpath and some neighbours were concerned that their children, who were playing close by, might get stung. Mother-of-two Venetia Ford decided to call Kennet District Council's emergency line and was shocked when she was told there was no help available.

She said: "We were told nothing could be done until Monday, which we all think is disgusting as there were a lot of children playing outside on a glorious hot afternoon.

"The neighbouring houses had to keep their windows and doors closed because of the bees."

Mrs Ford added: "What makes us so mad is that we pay our council tax but all we see as a result is emptying bins and passing the buck. What would they have said or done if someone had got stung and died from a reaction? It is not good enough."

In desperation the residents called the police and were given the telephone number of a beekeeper in Bath. He arrived within half an hour to tackle the problem.

Mrs Miles said: "I don't know why bees are attracted to our chimney but this is the second time this has happened. At least we knew what to do to get them out of the house, but they went and landed in a nearby tree.

"We were worried because it was such a hot day and there were a lot of children playing around, including my own grandchildren. The man from Bath was very helpful and arrived very promptly."

Kevin James, environment and community safety manager for Kennet District Council, said the out-of-hours service is handled by the Wiltshire Ambulance Service, but even if the residents had rung in office hours, there was little the council could do.

He said: "We don't treat bees with poison because they are protected, and because, unlike wasps, there is no nest we can destroy to make them go away.

"What happens is that a young queen bee emerges from the nest and flies off, closely followed by a swarm of worker bees who want to stay close to her.

"The best thing to do is to go indoors and wait until they have gone."

Mr James has now agreed to make a list of local beekeepers available to ambulance service operators.

He said this was the first incident of a bee swarm the out-of-hours service had been called on to deal with.

Reg Davis, co-ordinator for the Salisbury Beekeepers' Association, which also covers Kennet, said that for an experienced apiarist, collecting a swarm is relatively simple operation.

He said: "It is a relatively simple job, for someone who knows what they're doing, to knock them off the branch into a bucket and transfer them to a hive.

"But I would not advise anyone else to approach them. The best advice is to leave them well alone."

The swarms of bees can stay in the same position for two hours to two days while scouts search for a new home.