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I seem to have an infestation of small black flies which seem to just rest on my raspberries but which I think are really attracted to some adjacent sweet peas. There are literally hundreds of them which take off when disturbed but settle very quickly. I don't think they are eating anything vital but every time I pick rasps I get a face full of the things!! I have tried a couple of half hearted squirts with the old rhubarb leaf brew but they are still there. I have a row of broad beans about to flower and so I hope they are not waiting with knives and forks for them.  ???

Sound like pollen beetles to me... are they beetles... thunderbugs/fruitflies rarely hang around sweetpeas... but none of them are a threat to your B Beans..  :)

If the difference between a beetle and a fly is that a beetle has encased wings and a fly hasn't (If I recall my biology at school!!) then these are flies. In fact I managed to catch one tonight and will take a good look at it for any identifying features. They move quite fast and I always thought that was the sign of a predator, or is that just in the ground?

It's still a good rule of thumb...
probably thunderbugs... don't know their proper name has it been warm and humid recently?

If they have a single pair of wings sticking out they're flies. Beetles have folding wings which go under hardened wingcases which are actually modified forewings.

Isn't the Internet a wonderful place? I think I have identified these insects and it appears they are dung flies!! Apparently, apart from dung of course, they swarm round flowers to get a carbohydrate 'fix', who'd have thought? :o

Ooh....dung for din-dins and nectar for pud.........nice  :-\