First Paris, now London? Why the bedbug menace is spreading

Visuals of bedbugs seemingly everywhere in Paris have gone across the world and given people sleepless nights. Now, some in London have expressed fear that the critters have arrived in the city via train. This, as London Mayor Sadiq Khan admitted that bedbugs are a “real source of concern.” But have the bedbugs found their way to London? Or is this entirely overblown? Let’s take a closer look: A video that has gone viral on social media shows a tiny, brown insect scurrying up the trouser leg of someone on London’s Victoria Line.

Bedbugs on the Victoria line, it’s so over pic.twitter.com/E8XKYH63gs

— notbri.sol (@Xhakaed) October 7, 2023

A horrified Londoner responded to that post with the caption: “That single one has laid like 400 eggs on those jeans already!” Another clip put up on X claimed that bedbugs had managed to reach Manchester.

hey @FirstBusnews your 59 to oldham mumps has bedbugs i suggest you do something about this quickly lol pic.twitter.com/zwVE5qF49O

— h 🇵🇸🇵🇸 (@mirxclealigner) October 9, 2023

Khan, in an interview with the PoliticsJoe website, said, “This is a real source of concern. People are worried about these bugs in Paris causing a problem in London.” “I want to reassure those listening that TfL [Transport for London] has the best regimes to clean our assets on a nightly basis. We are speaking to our friends in Paris to see if there are any lessons to be learned but for a variety of reasons we don’t think those issues will arise in London; but there is no complacency from TfL.” London seems to be having a problem with bedbugs. Sky News quoted data from pest-control company Rentokil as saying that the UK in 2023 witnessed a 65 per cent increase in bed bug infestations compared to 2022. The website quoted Natalie Bungay of the British Pest Control Association (BPCA) as saying she wasn’t shocked. “Reports of bed bug activity tend to increase in the summer as people travel more. The lack of travel during COVID-19 lockdowns meant bed bug issues were few and far between, so it’s not surprising we’re now seeing a rapid rise in call outs.” Inews quoted Luton Borough Council as saying it had already gotten an “alarming number” of calls for bedbug infestations. What do experts say? Experts seem divided. David Cain, founder of Bed Bugs Ltd, told Sky News, “I think there’s probably a similar level of issue in London as there is in Paris at present.” “They’re already on buses, trains, tubes, cinemas, doctor’s surgeries, public spaces, hospitals. The difference is that Parisians are talking about the problem, while Brits are ‘trying to keep the whole thing quiet,’ ” he claimed. Inews quoted Rentokil as bedbugs can now cross borders thanks to international travel. “Bed bugs are prolific breeders,” Rentokil stated. “And once they attach themselves to clothing, luggage, or furniture, they can quickly infest a room, house, hotel, or even an aeroplane or bus.”

The BCPA, meanwhile, remains unsure about the bedbug claims on British transport.

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The organisation pointed out that bedbugs, as nocturnal creatures, would only emerge between 1 and 5 am. Speaking to Metro, professor Richard Wall of the University of Bristol’s School of Biological Sciences also claimed the insect in the video wasn’t a bedbug. “I’m also pretty confident that it’s not a tick either,” he added. Eurostar, meanwhile, says things are normal. BBC quoted Eurostar as saying it had not seen an “upsurge in bedbugs”. “The textile surfaces on all of our trains are cleaned thoroughly on a regular basis and this involves hot water injection and extraction cleaning, which is highly effective in eliminating bedbugs,” its statement added. “Any reports on hygiene matters are taken very seriously and our cleaning teams, in addition to the usual cleaning, will also disinfect a train on request or as soon as there is the slightest doubt.” Eurostar told BBC it had created a “preventive detection campaign” which was being “stepped up in the coming weeks”. A company spokesperson told Sky News discovering bed bugs on trains was “extremely rare”. But Cain told the website a bed bug problem could only be solved by increasing the treatment frequency to “one journey, one clean.” “Otherwise you’re using the same train to go backwards and forwards - and every time a new set of customers get on, then they potentially pick up the problems left by the previous one.” But others say there’s no reason to worry. The Guardian quoted professor Robert Smith of the University of Huddersfield as calling for calm. Smith said such reports of bedbugs were likely the result of “widespread media coverage over the last week or so” rather than being brought in from Paris. “Don’t panic if you think you have bed bugs. The thought of these bloodsuckers might be unpleasant, but they don’t carry or spread any human diseases as far as we know. The NHS website has good advice about what to look for and what to do,” Smith added. With inputs from agencies