Transport for London are closely monitoring for any outbreaks of bedbugs that could have hopped on the Eurostar to infest the British capital’s tube network.
London’s trains and buses will be on high alert after the blood-sucking critters were spotted crawling all over the cloth seats of the Parisian Metro.
Parisians took to standing on trains leaving empty seats as others were given sleepless nights frantically scouring their bedclothes for signs of the mutant insects.
A wary customer boards the Elizabeth Line— (PA)
Paris may have fallen but London is bracing itself against the insect invasion armed only with vacuums and shampoo.
A TfL spokesman told The Independent: “We are not aware of any outbreaks in London, but we will monitor our network and continue our rigorous and thorough cleaning measures which 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 the Tube 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.”
Phew. No outbreaks spotted yet by TfL— (Photo by JEWEL SAMAD/AFP via Getty Images)
Eurostar on Tuesday confirmed it was ramping up “preventative treatments” across its entire network to keep the critters on the other side of the Channel.
Footage of the insects has horrified TikTok users as some posted warnings about the creepy critters swarming their Airbnb rentals.
Natalie Bungay, from the British Pest Control Association told The Independent that it was very possible the insects could cross the Channel to the United Kingdom. She said: “Bedbugs are international travellers.
“It’s not always obvious where they’ve come from, but commonly they can be introduced to your property after attaching themselves to luggage, bags, clothes or through second-hand furniture and even laptops.
“Bedbugs are small and agile, avoiding detection by crawling into concealed locations.
“They can also move from one room to another in search of food or after mating.”
Even though bed bugs can harbour various pathogens transmission to humans has not been proven and is believed to be unlikely.
Everyone reacts differently to a bed bug bite; some develop red, irritating marks and lumps, while others do not react to the bites.
The bites can be itchy and cause painful swelling, with excessive scratching sometimes leading to infections.
