A mum says her home has been turned into a 'hotel for bugs' - because it is repeatedly invaded by thousands of beetles.
Mum-of-two Lisa Poole, 45, has spent two years trying to battle her real life "beetlejuice" nightmare in her three-bedroomed house but has been unable to tackle the infestation. Lisa, who lives with partner Kienan Jones, 26, and her two teenage children, says the family are forced to sleep in camp beds in the living room due to the out of control bugs.
She says council officers have been unable to help and she feels trapped like a "prisoner" in the "house from hell" in Whitchurch, Cardiff. Cardiff council said it had tried to help the couple after finding evidence of carpet beetles, which it does not usually treat as it is not a public health hazard.
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Lisa said: "Our home is now a hotel for bugs. We have beetles, silverfish and centipedes everywhere. We are all sleeping in the living room on put up camp beds. We have had no choice but to abandon the rest of the house because the bugs are everywhere."
Lisa said they have pleaded with Cardiff council for help but despite three fumigations the bug problem is still ongoing. The brown and cream beetles lay their larvae - 100 eggs at a time - on walls, in wardrobes, in furniture and on material and are incredibly difficult to eradicate because they have a 'self defence' mechanism.
Lisa who suffers from fibromyalgia and OCD says: "We all wake up covered in welts where the hairs from the beetle larvae cause horrible irritation. We can no longer sleep in our bedrooms - they are now just bare rooms with floorboards. We are basically living in one room.
"We are very house proud and refurbished our house beautifully before all this started and now we've had to throw virtually everything in the bin - carpets, wardrobes, anything fabric. We've lost about £25,000 because of this.
"I have OCD and am steam cleaning the house every day but it makes no difference whatsoever. We can't even store food in the kitchen cupboards anymore - everything we eat is kept in the fridge because of the bugs."
Lisa says the problem is affecting her health as well as her children's well-being.
She said: "They need their own space but we are all cooped up in one room. My eldest child has got their GCSE's soon and coming home every day to this is a nightmare for them. They can't even invite their friends home anymore because it's too embarrassing.
Lisa, who has lived in the three-bedroomed property for 21 years says the family only go upstairs to shower and use the bathroom say their home has become a 'prison'.
Chef Kienan said: "If the house was a restaurant they would close it down immediately. We've become so desperate that some nights if it's dry we sleep in our garden in a tent. I just want to move out of this house but we are trapped here. No one is helping us.
"There's only been one occasion when the council turned up unannounced and we were going away and couldn't given them access, otherwise we've not heard from them. We don't sleep properly, we can't store any food in the cupboards we can't cook properly. We spend all our time catching beetles. It's like we are squatting in our own home.
"Even out nine-year-old dog, Ollie, has been affected. His fur has gone all thin and his eyes are infected. We have him groomed every six weeks but I think he's as stressed as we are. This isn't affecting our life - we haven't got a life anymore."
A council spokesperson said: “The council’s pest control has team attended the property on numerous occasions and found some evidence of carpet beetles, a fairly common pest which is not a public health concern. Although the service does not usually treat cases of carpet beetles, due to the concern expressed by the tenants, various treatments and monitoring was carried out.
“Unfortunately the tenants refused to allow access to the property for specialised surveys and for repair work to the roof to be undertaken. Had access been allowed, work could have been undertaken to block any cavities and prevent material from birds’ nests from entering the property, which could potentially be the source of beetle larvae.
“The tenants are on the housing waiting list for transfer. However, demand for council homes is currently exceptionally high. Only a limited number of properties become available each year in the areas that the tenants have chosen, meaning they may have to wait some time to relocate.”
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