Residents in Dublin's Ringsend and Sandymount are being 'driven demented' by a fly infestation.

Dublin City Council is attempting to find out what is causing the swarm.

It has forced homes and businesses to keep their windows shut for a number of days.

In a statement to The Irish Times, the operators of the new Poolbeg Incinerator said the facility was not the source of the problem as "there are no waste deliveries to the plant at the present time".

Labour Senator Kevin Humphreys, meanwhile, suggests there could be a number of reasons for the recent influx.

He argued: "Within the area, we obviously have one of the largest sewage treatment plants.

"It's happened before where algae on the beach has caused problems like this. But at the moment we're not quite sure."

He added: "One lady said to me she had to lie down and put a book over her face, because there was literally so many flies in her home [...] She was extremely distressed by it."

Patsy Doolin is a resident of Sean Moore Road. She told Newstalk Drive something needs to change.

"We've had a terrible time here for about the last 10 days.

"What made it different from normal was you were eating your dinner and they were coming on to the plate...you'd five or six flies in the one room where you were eating."

"We have a local diner down the road, and he said there was more flies in the cafeteria area than there was customers".

Richard Faulkner is an advanced technical field consultant with Rentokil.

He told Newstalk Drive this is unusual in Ireland. But he had advice for those affected by it.

"The main thing is...to keep barriers up - so keep your windows and your doors closed where necessary. You can get screens to put on your doors and windows.

"Simple things like keeping your rubbish and waste as far away from your house as possible.

"If you have you waste by doors - so your waste bins, you go out your door the waste bins are there - the first thing that's going to attract them into the area is the rubbish and the waste".