Grim TikTok footage shows what looks like a bed bug sitting on a passenger’s leg on the London Underground.
The clip comes amid fears that a plague of “super bed bugs” in Paris will sweep the UK, with hotels and transport companies already on alert.
Experts warn that the blood-sucking animals, whose bites cause painful itching, have developed resistance to insecticides.
In the eight-second video shared online, the brown beetle can be seen on the fold of the passenger’s black jeans.
TikTok user @Lassgold, who posted the clip yesterday, said he was “minding my own business” on the Victoria subway line.
In the eight-second video shared online, the brown beetle can be seen on the fold of the passenger’s black jeans. TikTok user @Lassgold, who posted the clip yesterday, said he was “minding my own business” on the Victoria subway line.
They called on Transport for London (TfL) to clarify the issue with the footage, which has been viewed 1.6 million times.
That’s in the video The owner of a small jewelry store joked that the animal said: “He had a great deal on the Eurostar and was wondering if I could take him home.”
TfL claimed it was “not aware of any outbreaks in London”.
However, the organization said it would “monitor” its network and continue its “strict and thorough cleaning measures.”
It also said:We are committed to providing our customers and employees with a clean and safe environment on the subway.
Eurostar said its trains between London and Paris would have to be disinfected if there was the “slightest doubt” of an infestation.
Meanwhile, a major British hotel chain has started asking guests at check-in whether they have arrived from France.
Those who have done so will have their rooms thoroughly cleaned by pest control experts when they leave.
AAn outbreak of the blood-sucking insects has sparked a wave of disgust in Paris.
Residents and tourists have posted images on social media of beetles crawling across hotel bed sheets and train seats.
Experts say the outbreak in Paris is likely due to residents returning to the capital after spending the summer elsewhere.
But this is also because it is becoming increasingly difficult to eradicate bed bugs.
Although they get their name from their habit of nesting in mattresses, bed bugs can also live in sofas, carpets and furniture.
They hide in small cracks and crevices as narrow as a credit card and feed primarily at night.
Bed bugs, which grow up to 7mm in size, usually spread by getting into clothing or bags and then moving them elsewhere.
While the beetles do not carry diseases that make people sick and their bite is painless, it does leave an itchy red mark on areas exposed while sleeping.
Although Paris is battling its own bed bug invasion, the critters are of course also present in Britain.
Data from pest control company Rentokil in September also showed that the UK saw a 65 per cent increase in bed bug infestations from 2022 to 2023.
The reason given was the revival of travel and hotel stays since the pandemic.
At the time, experts also suggested that this could be because more people were buying used furniture on resale sites like eBay and Facebook Marketplace.
According to the British Pest Control Association, there are now around 12,000 reports of bed bugs every year.
They called on Transport for London (TfL) to clarify the issue with the footage, which has been viewed 1.6 million times. In the video, the owner of a small jewelry store joked that the animal said: “He had a great deal on the Eurostar and was wondering if I could take him home.”
TfL claimed it was “not aware of any outbreaks in London”. However, the organization said it would “monitor” its network and continue its “strict and thorough cleaning measures.” It also said it was “responsible for providing our customers and employees with a clean and safe environment on the subway.”
Eurostar said its trains between London and Paris would have to be disinfected if there was the “slightest doubt” of an infestation. The company also told MailOnline it plans to increase “preventative treatments” across its network, but said cases of bed bugs on its trains were “extremely rare”.
An outbreak of the blood-sucking insects has sparked a wave of disgust in Paris. Residents and tourists have posted images on social media of beetles crawling across hotel bed sheets and train seats. In a video posted to the platform yesterday, @jimmytravelsworld showed him using tweezers to pick out bed bugs from his bed and under the mattress. “When you go to Paris to find love but end up finding bugs living in your bed rent-free,” he said. In the video, which has been viewed more than 44,000 times, he also showed bite marks on his wrists after living in the infected property
Eurostar told MailOnline it plans to increase “preventive treatments” across its network, but said cases of bed bugs on its trains were “extremely rare”.
Millennium Hotels and Resorts, which operates 18 hotels in Britain, asks new guests if they have traveled from France, according to staff at one of its London hotels.
Meanwhile, staff at the five-star Renaissance Hotel at St Pancras station, London’s Eurostar terminus, said no bed bugs had been discovered there but staff had been trained over the past two weeks on how to spot the pests.
Air France also said that if suspected bed bugs are reported on board one of its flights, “the aircraft will be grounded and a team of specialists will be immediately dispatched to confirm or rule out the presence of these insects.”
Experts warned yesterday that a failure to get to grips with Britain’s growing bed bug problem will mean a resurgence of Victorian-era pest infestations.
Professor James Logan, an insect expert at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and managing director of research company Arctech Innovation, told the Mail on Sunday: “The insecticides we have used for decades to control these insects are not always reliable.”
“Bed bugs in many places have evolved to resist these toxic chemicals.”
He added: “The trick is to catch them early, before they start laying eggs.”
“We should introduce more traps and warning systems to address the problem.”
“But we also need to develop new insecticides to prevent infestations from becoming normal again.”
In France, concerns about the crisis have led to French officials holding crisis talks over the increase in bed bugs, with ministers in Emmanuel Macron’s government promising to provide the public with “quick answers.”
The deputy mayor of Paris, Emmanuel Gregoire, claimed last week that “no one” is safe from the “scourge” of bed bugs.
The concerns have grown as France hosts the Rugby World Cup and Paris prepares to welcome thousands of athletes and fans from around the world for the 2024 Olympics.
The French health agency recommends people check their hotel beds when traveling and be careful when bringing home used furniture or used mattresses.
As soon as bed bugs are spotted in an apartment, the affected rooms must be treated quickly, it said.