- Mark Henderson, 27, and Chelsea Francis, 26, are terrified to leave their one-bed property in Fulham in case they pass the bedbugs on to others
- Hammersmith & Fulham Council moved the family to a hotel on Thursday
A family has finally moved out of their council flat after a serious bedbug infestation left their parents unable to work.
Mark Henderson, 27, and Chelsea Francis, 26, were afraid of passing the bugs on to others and therefore refused to leave their one-bed property in Fulham, south-west London.
The couple – parents to Ewan, two, and Riley, four weeks – have been forced to live on benefits of £900 a month after Mrs Francis was declared unfit for work due to epilepsy.
Hammersmith & Fulham Council finally moved the family into a hotel on Thursday while a search for a new home continued.
Pictured: Toddler, Ewan. his family has finally moved out of their council flat after a serious bedbug infestation
Pictured: four-week-old baby Riley, who has also suffered from bedbug bites
Handyman Henderson said: ‘It was horrible having to live there. I wouldn’t wish it on anyone.
‘Me, my partner and two children couldn’t leave the house because we were covered in bedbugs and didn’t want to pass them on.
‘I don’t want people to think we are dirty, the house was spotless. We are clean people, but the bed bugs were everywhere.”
He added: ‘My children are getting bedbugs in their ears – it’s absolutely disgusting.
‘We couldn’t go out as a family.
‘There was a fair recently that we wanted to go to, but that wasn’t possible. The bed bugs are in their strollers, in their clothes – they are even in the refrigerator.
‘We just want to live our lives and be able to go outside. No one should have to go through this.”
Bedbug bites covered mum-of-two Chelsea Francis’ back, the family have now moved into a hotel and new accommodation will be found for them soon
Bedbug bites on Mrs. Francis’ hand and wrist. She said: ‘It was awful and so gross knowing you were being spied on all the time. It was like a nightmare
Ms Francis added: ‘The bedbugs didn’t budge. They get in closets and in my bed. They were everywhere.
‘It was horrible and so gross, knowing you were being watched all the time. It was like a nightmare.’
Hammersmith & Fulham Council said officers had visited the property nine times since 2018 over the issue.
And a spokesperson confirmed that the family had moved yesterday and new accommodation was being sought.
Speaking about their first night in a hotel, Mr Henderson said: ‘It was great to be able to have a bath and a shower and come out knowing you won’t be surrounded by bedbugs.
‘It’s the best night’s sleep we’ve ever had. Both children slept like logs. We are so relieved to be out of there.”
A council spokesperson said: ‘We acted quickly (on October 19) and moved the family into a hotel as we found them a new permanent home.
‘We are now working closely with the family to ensure they receive the daily support they need – including a dedicated social worker, any clothing, bedding or furniture they need, meals and financial assistance to enable them suggest buying different food. and supplies.”
The problem became so severe that the walls were smeared with the remains of squashed bugs
Bed bugs covered furniture in their council flat in Hammersmith and Fulham
London is in the grip of a bedbug invasion, with the pests having been spotted on Tube and bus services.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan said the issue was a ‘real cause of concern’ and TfL officials are already in discussions with the Paris Metro about what ‘lessons can be learned’.
And a council in Bedfordshire has received an ‘alarming number of calls’ and bugs have been spotted on a bus in Manchester, as fears grow of an outbreak similar to that in France.
It comes after a family who spent £700 on a mini break at Butlin’s ‘Spooktober’ suffered a nightmare when their two-year-old son was bitten hundreds of times by bedbugs