Pest Controller Notes Bedbug Anxiety in U.K.

Reuters

17:27 JST, November 1, 2023

British pest control giant Rentokil Initial saw a 32% jump in enquiries about bedbugs from January to September this year compared with a year earlier, it said on Oct. 19, amid worries of infestation in the U.K. after reports from France.

French social and traditional media have reported extensively about bedbugs on trains and in cinemas and the government worries about the impact on tourism and the Paris Olympics, which start in less than a year.

Last month London Mayor Sadiq Khan, speaking to social media publisher PoliticsJOE, said people were worried about bedbugs in Paris causing a problem in London.

He added that he was in contact with Transport for London and they were taking steps such as regular cleaning of tubes and buses to ensure there is no such problem in London.

“Anecdotally from technicians we are seeing a significant increase in interest [in the U.K.],” a spokesperson for Rentokil said in an emailed statement to Reuters.