- Pest-control companies confirmed they are facing a rise in bedbug call-outs
Britain’s bedbug infestation is said to be getting worse as pest-control teams have revealed they are busier than ever – but insurers are unlikely to pay out to cover removal and damage costs.
Awareness to the bedbug crisis was first raised last week as it emerged the French were experiencing a ‘living hell’ fighting off a plague of the insects that feed on the blood of animals and humans.
But this week, Sadiq Khan warned that the possibility of bedbugs on London’s public transport was a ‘real source of concern’ and that he had contacted officials in Paris after the French capital became overwhelmed by an outbreak with the insects reported in schools, trains, hospitals and cinemas.
Now, a pest control company which operates in Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire and London has said that staff are facing 25 call-outs a week, which is up from just ‘one or two’ a month ago.
Luton is a particular hotspot for bedbugs at the moment, with residents throwing their beds away, ripping up carpets and evacuating their homes.
A bedbug is seen on a glove of a biocide technician from Hygiene Premium in Paris on September 29
Fears are growing of a bedbug outbreak in the UK – similar to that seen in France over recent weeks. Pictured: Specialists on a bedbug call-out
Britain’s bedbug infestation is said to be getting worse with pest-control teams revealing they are the busier than ever. Pictured: A bedbug outbreak on bedding
Luton Council’s website this week warned residents it ‘does not have limitless resources’ to tackle the ‘obnoxious pest’, adding treating properties was ‘not free’.
It said: ‘The national bed bug problem has not missed Luton. The Pest Control Service is currently receiving an alarming number of bed bug jobs on a weekly basis.’
Adam Warren, director of Summit Pest Control, told The Times that the problem had flared up in the past six weeks and that Luton was ‘busier for bedbugs than I’ve ever known it’.
As the company face a busy time of year, they said the worst infestation was in the affluent village of Radlett, Hertfordshire, where an elderly couple’s house was so infested they had to rip out the carpets and throw the beds away.
The Times also spoke to Jamie Ramsey, manager of Pests of London, who said they were ‘snowed under’ with bedbug call-outs at the moment. They serve areas within the M25.
The company’s call-outs have doubled since last year to around five to ten a day – many from hotels concerned that guests were bringing them to rooms.
A third firm, Pest Extractors, said they have seen a recent spike too – not just in Luton but all over, including Stevenage, another hotspot.
The spike comes as it has also emerged that insurers will not pay out over bedbug infestations.
Aviva, the UK’s largest insurer, and other firms who provide home cover have confirmed the cost of removing bedbugs or repairing damage is not included in most policies.
The Association of British Insurers urged customers to look if there was any additional cover they could get as fears grow over an infestation.
Cover is likely to vary between home insurance policies, with many not covering the cost of damage caused by vermin and pests,’ a spokesman told The Telegraph.
‘The costs of disinfestation might be covered under some add-ons to cover, like emergency home assistance. So, the advice on this is to check the cover provided under your policy.’
Aviva said its standard home insurance policies exclude ‘moths, vermin, insects, fungus, damp, rust, wet or dry rot’. Admiral said it also excluded damage and that its Home Emergency add-on would not cover bedbugs. Axa also said it would not cover bedbugs.
Britons have been sharing several videos of suspected bedbugs on social media as fears grow
Bedbugs are seen in a sofa bed in L’Hay-les-Roses near Paris, France, last week
Video shows a backstreet in Marseille filled with home furnishings abandoned during the crisis
A mattress is seen abandoned on a sidewalk in Marseille next to a line of bins
Sheets get an airing from balconies in Marseille as the southern French city deals with bedbugs
Transport for London (TfL) has begun disinfecting Tube seats on a daily basis to stop infestations.
But experts fear Brits heading to Marseille for England’s Rugby World Cup quarter-final against Fiji on Sunday could bring the insects back with them. One rugby fan told MailOnline she plans to ‘actively avoid’ sitting on public transport and has started having ‘nightmares’ about bedbugs after watching videos of the critters on social media.
Nic Shacklock from Online-Bedrooms said: ‘It’s estimated over a million fans are heading to the Rugby Village.
‘If everyone is using public transport while Paris is gripped by a bed bug infestation, it’s more than likely an outbreak is heading to our shores.’
He added: ‘It’s worth placing bin bags or thick plastic bags on seats while using the Metro as they don’t like to cling onto smooth plastic materials.
‘We also advise being cautious when you arrive at the hotel room. Check under your bed sheets and strip the entire room as the bugs can be hiding within the mattress and on the sofa.’
Professor Lucy Easthope, who has worked on the response to global events including the 9/11 and 7/7 attacks, the Grenfell Tower fire and Covid-19, has warned that Britain is ‘not ready’ for an invasion of bedbugs.
The French government is battling to contain a bout of nationwide panic, with several secondary schools closing due to the infestation.
Footage shows residents walking past discarded mattresses in one of the streets in Marseille and Lyon, with some of the items lying in the road and others propped up against buildings.
Locals are also chucking out their home furnishings because of the issue, with a placard reading ‘bedbugs’ pinned to the headboard of a bed to warn others not to take it.
A pest control technician sprays an insecticide under a mattress in Paris last Wednesday
Bedbugs are seen in the seams of a sofa bed in L’Hay-les-Roses near Paris on September 29
Products used to eradicate bedbugs at the Hygiene Premium pest control shop in Paris
Professor Lucy Easthope, who has worked on the response to global events including the 9/11 and 7/7 attacks, the Grenfell Tower fire and the Covid-19 pandemic, put out the stark warning amid fears of a bedbug invasion from France
Concerns have grown over a bedbug infestation in London after a video went viral over the weekend of what was claimed to be a bedbug on a person’s leg on the Victoria line.
But some experts have disputed whether the creature is indeed a bedbug, with one saying it was not ‘flat enough’ and another saying that the clip ‘looks wrong.’
Mr Khan said he was concerned, but TfL was doing everything it could to ensure the bedbug infestation in France does not spread to public transport in London.
He told PoliticsJOE: ‘This is a real source of concern, right? People are worried about these bugs in Paris causing a problem in London.
‘I was in contact with TfL last week and this weekend. We’re taking steps to make sure we don’t have those problems in London, in relation to regular cleaning of not just the Tubes and our buses, but talking to the Eurostar as well.
‘TfL have one of the best regimes to clean our assets on a nightly basis. We’re speaking to our friends in Paris to see if there are any lessons to be learned. For a variety of reasons we don’t think those issues will arise in London – but no complacency from TfL.’
TfL has confirmed that it is monitoring trains and buses for any indication that the infestation could have reached the UK.
A TfL spokesman said: ‘We are continuing to closely monitor our network but are not aware of any outbreaks in London.
‘We are continuing to implement our rigorous and thorough cleaning measures that have been proven to keep both the interior and exterior of our trains clean.
‘We are committed to providing a clean and safe environment on our bus, Tube and rail service for our customers and staff, and we would like to reassure our customers that we continue to maintain our already high standards of cleanliness, so our staff and customers can use the network safely and with confidence.’
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