Pest controllers are dealing with a “alarming number” of bedbugs amid fears that outbreaks in Paris are now spreading in the UK.
The number of calls to Luton Borough Council to deal with the creepy crawlies has increased dramatically.
“The pest control service is currently receiving an alarming number of bedbug jobs on a weekly basis,” the mayor’s office said.
It has published instructions on how individuals should prepare their homes for “treatment.” However, they cautioned that there were not “limitless resources” to address the issue.
The authority said beds must have been stripped, with bed covers placed into sealed bin liners and ideally stored in a bath. Wardrobes, drawers and bookcases should be emptied with contents placed in sealed bin liners.
All furniture should be pulled away from walls, with pictures and posters taken off to allow for inspection. Dee Patel, an entomologist, said lavender deterred bedbugs and advised washing at high temperatures, vacuuming often and freezing sheets, which stops the bugs from breeding.
“Lavender oil masks their scent pattern and they can’t cope with it,” he said.
Natalie Bungay, from the British Pest Control Association (BPCA), said seasonal increases in numbers as more people travel during the summer months were not unusual.
“There was a dip during Covid-19 due to the lack of global travel taking place,” she said.
“So any increase now could just be trends getting back to normal now that everybody is moving freely again.”
Cinemas, trains, hospitals and schools have all been overrun with bedbugs amid national panic over the issue in the French capital.
It was revealed last night that the bedbug invasion has already hit as far as Manchester.