RESIDENTS were scared out of their wits when a huge swarm of bees made a bee-line for their estate.

The swarm landed on a tree in Sandhill Close, off Division Street, Great Lever, yesterday.

Father of three David Greenhalgh, whose home is near the tree, said: "It was horrifying. There must have been a million of them.

"At first you couldn't see the tree for bees. Then, all of a sudden, the tree reappeared as the bees dived into it."

Mr Greenhalgh made a frantic call to Bolton Council's environmental health department and shortly afterwards a bee expert in protective clothing arrived and sprayed the tree with pesticide.

"The guy's hands were crawling with them. After he sprayed the tree, there were thousands of dead bees all over the street and in the back gardens. It was awful."

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