Owners stung after fight of bumble bee

A swarm of bees attacked residents in a South Staffordshire village after their hives were opened for honey to be removed, it emerged today.

One man was left with his eye swollen shut, another woman suffered stings to her nose, cheek, eye, hand and wrist and a third claimed she received up to 10 stings on her head after the bees flew into their gardens from hives kept at a nearby home .

Residents ran into their homes for cover while some set fire to newspaper to fan them away.

South Staffordshire Council received complaints from people living in Hazel Grove, Wombourne, saying they had been stung.

Julie and Len Collins, who have four hives in their back garden in Station Road, have now agreed to move the largest one to a less populated location five miles away outside the village to avoid a repeat of last Tuesday's incident.