FACED by a swarm of 10,000 angry wasps, Paul Bates knew he had to get his back against the wall and spray as if his life depended on it.

Rather than being a scene from a low budget horror movie, this close encounter was all in a day's work for the Croydon-based pest controller.

Mr Bates had been called to a house in Purley after the occupant complained of an incessant buzzing noise behind his living room walls.

But what seemed like a routine call took a dramatic twist.

He explained: "When we went into the living room and tapped the plaster virtually the entire ceiling collapsed, covering us in thousands of wasps.

"When you're surrounded by 10,000 angry wasps you've got to react pretty quickly, which means you get the hell out of there and quick.

"I had little choice but to get my back against the door and start spraying.

"The owner was extremely lucky. Had he been on his own watching television at the time the ceiling came down he would have been in big trouble."

Mr Bates, who is managing director of Kenley-based Cleankill, calls pest controllers the "fifth emergency service".

He added: "Make no mistake, wasps can kill. The thing about a wasp sting is the more you're stung the worse it gets.

"Last time I got stung it knocked me clean out. It felt like I'd been hit on the head with a hammer.

"Most of the calls we get are from householders in distress. It's not just housewives scared of mice in the kitchen.

"That's why it's a good job, because you get the satisfaction of having helped in rough situations."

Established in 1995, Cleankill's services are now so in demand that its annual turnover is £1.5 million.

Mr Bates is now gearing up for his busiest time of the year – the summer – when Croydon's two biggest pests become a serious problem.

Like any major economic centre, Croydon has its fair share of pigeon infestations, but it is a more exotic bird – the parakeet – which is a larger concern, particularly in Shirley.

Earlier this year a flock of parakeets caused £45,000 of damage to Shirley Windmill and Mr Bates says that these sorts of incidents will become more common if numbers are not kept in check.

He explained: "Not too long ago we were called to a house where a parakeet had got inside an air vent and managed to peck a hole in someone's ceiling.

"Parakeets are a complete unknown. Their numbers have increased dramatically in the last five years, which could lead to the loss of a lot of Britain's native birds as they are large and bully smaller birds out of their natural environment."