Paris is grappling with a bed bug infestation – but the problem is likely just as bad in London, an expert says.
“I think there’s probably a similar level of issue in London as there is in Paris at present,” microbiologist and founder of Bed Bugs Ltd David Cain told Sky News.
“They’re already on buses, trains, tubes, cinemas, doctor’s surgeries, public spaces, hospitals.”
The difference is that Parisians are talking about the problem, while Brits are “trying to keep the whole thing quiet”, he said.
That culture of silence, where people don’t know there is an issue and don’t know how to tackle it, creates the perfect environment for bed bugs to spread, he said.
So what’s happening in Paris and the UK, and how can you avoid picking up bed bugs – or deal with them if you do?
Here’s everything you need to know…
What’s happening in Paris?
Bed bugs aren’t a new problem in France’s capital – but things seem to have got worse recently.
They have been spotted in homes, cinemas, hospitals and trains, according to reports.
Emmanuel Gregoire, deputy mayor of Paris, described them as a “scourge” and a “public health problem” as he called on the prime minister to act.
The city has been waging war on the creatures for years. In 2020, the government launched a campaign to tackle the problem, setting up an emergency helpline where people could get expert advice.
More than one in 10 French households had a bedbug infestation between 2017 and 2022, according to a report from ANSES, the French health and safety agency.
France is grappling with how to control the problem before the 2024 Paris Olympics
How bad is the bed bug problem in the UK?
The UK saw a 65% increase in bed bug infestations from 2022 to 2023, according to data released by pest-control company Rentokil in September.
Reacting to the findings, Natalie Bungay from the British Pest Control Association (BPCA) said she wasn’t surprised.
“Reports of bed bug activity tend to increase in the summer as people travel more.
“The lack of travel during COVID-19 lockdowns meant bed bug issues were few and far between, so it’s not surprising we’re now seeing a rapid rise in call outs.”
Mr Cain estimated 5% of households in London have had a bed bug infestation in the last two years.
People who haven’t been on holiday for years are finding the bugs at home, he said, so it’s not as simple as people travelling and bringing them back.
People who don’t have cars are also facing the problem, indicating they are embedded on public transport networks, he said.
The increase in recent years is part of a decades-long trend. Bed bugs were common before the Second World War, but the discovery of DDT as a cheap and effective insecticide helped control them.
But the insects developed resistance to DDT, and then to the next wave of insecticides.
Could bed bugs travel from Paris to the UK?
Bed bugs are known for hitching rides when people stay at hotels with infestations, and can survive a plane or Eurostar journey back to the UK.
Eurostar said it was on alert and ready to step up “preventive treatment” across the network.
A spokesperson told Sky News finding insects such as bed bugs on trains was “extremely rare”.
“The textile surfaces on all of our trains are cleaned thoroughly on a regular basis and this involves hot-water injection and extraction cleaning, which has proven highly effective in eliminating bugs.”
Trains will be disinfected “on request or as soon as there is the slightest doubt” if there is a report on a hygiene matter, they added.
Mr Cain said the treatment frequency would need to be “one journey, one clean” to really tackle the problem.
“Otherwise you’re using the same train to go backwards and forwards – and every time a new set of customers get on, then they potentially pick up the problems left by the previous one.”
But he reiterated his message: infestations in the UK will not just be down to bed bugs crossing the Channel, because “they are already here”.
There’s concern bed bugs could be hitching a ride on public transport.
What should you do to prevent an infestation?
Regularly checking your mattress, cleaning the frame of the bed and vacuuming around it will mean any bed bugs can be found and dealt with quickly.
Mr Cain also advised installing a bed bug monitor on your mattress which will show if any bed bugs have crossed its path.
Mr Cain said: “If you don’t get into that disciplined practice of checking once a month, there will come a day when you tip your mattress up and there’s going to be maybe 5,000 or 6,000 bed bugs looking back at you.
“Once they’ve been in your property for more than about 60 days, the population is doubling every 14 days.”
If you spot bed bugs, what should you do?
The most important thing is not to panic, Mr Cain said, because you are more likely to make mistakes in a heightened state of anxiety.
He listed three common mistakes to avoid: don’t use an aerosol-based insecticide, don’t use a fogger for bed bugs and don’t throw away furniture because you could introduce the bugs to any new furniture.
If you’ve caught the problem early, it may be possible to eradicate it by washing bedding and clothes on a hot wash and vacuuming the affected room.
But DIY solutions involve a big time investment to research and do them right, he said – and there’s no point only getting rid of 90% of the bugs because you’ve still got an infestation.
The NHS advises calling a pest control company or your local council. If you rent, it’s the responsibility of your landlord, local council or housing association to deal with the infestation if it predated your tenancy.
How do you spot bed bugs?
Bed bugs tend to hide in bed frames, mattresses, clothing and furniture, and mostly come out at night to feed on sleeping humans.
Your first sign of bed bugs might be bites, which can be raised and itchy and are often in a line.
Bed bugs are not known to carry disease, but the bites can be uncomfortable and the psychological toll of an infestation can be distressing.
Not everyone will react to the bites, so you might be sharing a bed with the bugs without noticing.
Other telltale signs include spots of blood on bedding, either from the bites or from squashing a bed bug that’s recently fed, or brown spots on bedding or furniture from bed bug faeces.
Confirmation of bed bugs involves either seeing the creatures, their shed skins, or testing the faeces spots.
Adult bed bugs are about 5mm long and look a bit like an apple pip. The eggs are about 1mm long and pearly white – they may be found on their own or in clusters.
Bed bugs on a wooden bedframe. Pic: Bed Bugs Ltd
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How can you avoid bed bugs while travelling?
If you’re staying in a hotel or apartment, check your bed for bugs, looking in the seams of the mattress and cracks of the headboard.
Avoid putting your suitcase under the bed and keep it zipped as much as possible – just take clothes out as you wear them and don’t leave them on the floor.
Keep your suitcase elevated on a hard surface if possible. When you’re packing for a trip, put clothes into resealable plastic bags and use a hard-shelled case if you have one.
How can you ease the itch of bites?
The NHS recommends putting something cool on the infected area, trying not to scratch to avoid infection and keeping the area clean.
If your bites are very itchy or painful, a pharmacist may be able to recommend a steroid cream or antihistamine.
Will France’s bed bug problem be solved by next summer’s Olympics?
France is holding crisis meetings about bed bugs in the first week of October – less than 10 months before the Paris 2024 Olympics open.
On 3 October, the French government said a cross-party bill would be put forward in December to combat the “scourge” of bed bugs.
The head of Emmanuel Macron’s Renaissance party in the French National Assembly, Sylvain Maillard, said the president’s party and its allies had decided to make the subject a “priority”, Le Monde reported.
But there is an “incredibly narrow window” for authorities to get the problem under control, Mr Cain said.
The solution would lie in “getting ahead of the infestation site” by installing monitors and making sure rigorous screening programmes are in place across the city’s accommodation, transport network and the Olympic Village.
“To be honest, I don’t think Paris has enough time now,” he said.
A 13-year-old girl and a 15-year-old boy have been found guilty of the manslaughter of an 80-year-old dog walker who was attacked in a Leicestershire park.
Bhim Kohli was found lying on the ground in Franklin Park in Braunstone Town, near Leicester, on 1 September last year and died the next evening of a spinal cord injury.
The grandfather, who was attacked just yards from his home, suffered a broken neck and rib fractures consistent with “something heavy striking the rib cage”, the trial heard.
Bhim Kohli
The boy, who was 14 at the time of the attack, and the girl, who was 12, cannot be named because of their ages.
During a six-week trial at Leicester Crown Court, jurors heard that Mr Kohli was racially abused before the incident.
The girl had also taken a photograph of Mr Kohli in Franklin Park a week before, the court heard.
The jury deliberated for almost seven hours before reaching unanimous verdicts on the pair, who will be sentenced next month.
Mr Kohli was shoved to the ground and slapped in the face with a shoe by a boy wearing a balaclava, the trial heard.
Police at the scene in Franklin Park last September. Pic: PA
A police report into the incident included a statement from a witness who described “seeing the boy forcefully pushing the old man on to his back”.
The jury heard the witness described the old man as “ending up on the floor screaming”.
A statement from PC Rachelle Pereira said: “Mr Kohli was repeatedly screaming out in pain, shouting out ‘My neck’.”
Her statement said the witness told the police officer she saw a young white boy wearing a black balaclava “shove the old man to the floor and sprint”.
The boy, who denied inflicting the fatal injuries, told a friend he would go “on the run” to Hinckley, in Leicestershire, the day after the attack but was arrested by police minutes later while hiding in a bush, the court heard.
In a letter written two months after the attack, the court heard the boy said “I did it and I accept I’m doing time” and “I kinda just needed anger etc releasing”.
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Mr Justice Turner remanded the boy in custody and granted the girl bail, but told her his decision “should not be taken as any indication as to the sentence when the time comes”.
The boy had also been charged with murder, but was found not guilty by the jury on that count.
The defendants, who sat in the dock for the first time since their trial began, appeared upset as the verdicts were given.
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Donald Trump’s tariffs could disrupt the supply of medicines into the UK, the health secretary has warned.
Wes Streeting said the government was “constantly watching and acting on this situation” after the US president refused to back down from the punitive policy, despite turmoil in the markets.
So far Mr Trump has imposed a series of tariffs of varying severity on countries across the world, including a 10% baseline tax on imports from all nations and a 25% levy on all cars imported to the US.
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His actions have sparked fears of a global trade war, with the UK’s benchmark stock market index, the FTSE 100, only just witnessing a slight rise this morning after three days of steep losses.
While the reciprocal tariffs have not yet included pharmaceutical products, there are concerns this could change in the near future.
Speaking to Wilfred Frost on Sky News Breakfast, the health secretary said that even before the US president’s tariff agenda – which has seen him impose a 10% baseline tax on imports from all nations – there had been “issues with medicines production and supply internationally”.
“We are constantly watching and acting on this situation to try and get medicines into the country, to make sure we’ve got availability, to show some flexibility in terms of how medicines are dispensed, to deal with shortages,” he said.
“But whether it’s medicines, whether it’s parts for manufacturing, whether it’s… the ability of businesses in this country to turn a profit, this is an extremely turbulent situation.”
Mr Streeting, who was speaking following the announcement that the government has recruited more than 1,500 new GPs since 1 October, said the steps taken by Mr Trump were “unprecedented in terms of global trade”.
“As ever in terms of medicines, there’s a number of factors at play,” he said.
“There have been challenges in terms of manufacturing, challenges in terms of distribution, and if we start to see tariffs kicking in, that’s another layer of challenge, but we watch this situation extremely closely.
“We work on a daily basis to make sure that we have the medicine supply this country needs.”
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Trump’s tariffs: What you need to know
Sir Keir Starmer had been seeking to secure an exemption for the UK from Mr Trump’s punitive tariffs.
But last week, the UK was hit with both the 10% baseline tariff on all imports and the 25% tariff on all cars imported to the US.
The latter tariff could prove particularly damaging for the UK, owing to the fact that the US is the car sector’s largest single market by country – accounting for £6.4bn worth of car exports in 2023.
On Monday, the prime minister announced he would relax rules around electric vehicles in order to mitigate the worst effects of the US tariffs.
While the 2030 ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars remains in place, regulations around manufacturing targets on electric cars and vans will be altered to help firms during the transition.
Luxury supercar firms such as Aston Martin and McLaren will still be allowed to keep producing petrol cars beyond the 2030 date, while petrol and diesel vans will also be allowed to be sold until 2035, along with hybrids and plug-in hybrid cars.
Prince Harry has arrived at court for the start of a two-day hearing about his security arrangements.
The Duke of Sussex is appealing a ruling dismissing his challenge to the level of police protection he receives in the UK, and his case will be heard in front of three judges across Tuesday and Wednesday.
The prince’s dispute goes all the way back to 2020, and is one of several high-profile legal battles he has brought to the High Court in recent years.
So what is the case about, what has happened in the courts so far and what’s happening now?
What is the dispute over?
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Harry’s legal battle over security
Harry received full, publicly funded security protection until he stepped back from royal duties and moved to America with wife Meghan in March 2020.
Once he moved away, the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures (Ravec) – which has delegated responsibility from the Home Office for royal security – decided he would not receive the same level of protection.
But Harry has argued that his private protection team in the US does not have access to UK intelligence information which is needed to keep his wife and children safe.
He therefore wants access to his previous level of security when in the country, but wants to fund the security himself, rather than ask taxpayers to foot the bill after he stepped down as a senior member of the Royal Family.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex in Canada in February. Pic: Aaron Chown/PA Wire
The duke’s legal representative said in a previous statement: “The UK will always be Prince Harry’s home and a country he wants his wife and children to be safe in.
“With the lack of police protection comes too great a personal risk.
“In the absence of such protection, Prince Harry and his family are unable to return to his home.”
The legal representative added: “Prince Harry inherited a security risk at birth, for life. He remains sixth in line to the throne, served two tours of combat duty in Afghanistan, and in recent years his family has been subjected to well-documented neo-Nazi and extremist threats.
“While his role within the institution has changed, his profile as a member of the Royal Family has not. Nor has the threat to him and his family.”
What’s happened in court so far?
He filed a claim for a judicial review of the Home Office’s decision shortly after it was made, with the first hearing in the High Court coming in February 2022.
At the start of that hearing, Robert Palmer QC, for the Home Office, told the court the duke’s offer of private funding was “irrelevant”, despite his safety concerns.
In written submissions, he said: “Personal protective security by the police is not available on a privately financed basis, and Ravec does not make decisions on the provision of such security on the basis that any financial contribution could be sought or obtained to pay for it.”
He added Ravec had attributed to the duke “a form of exceptional status” where he is considered for personal protective security by the police, “with the precise arrangements being dependent on the reason for his presence in Great Britain and by reference to the functions he carries out when present”.
The barrister added: “A case-by-case approach rationally and appropriately allows Ravec to implement a responsive approach to reflect the applicable circumstances.”
The case didn’t conclude until 28 February 2024, when retired High Court judge Sir Peter Lane ruled against Prince Harry.
The Duke leaving a service at St Paul’s Cathedral in London in May 2024. Pic: AP
He ruled the decision to change his security status was not unlawful or “irrational”, and that there had been no “procedural unfairness”.
The judge added: “Even if such procedural unfairness occurred, the court would in any event be prevented from granting the claimant [Prince Harry] relief.
“This is because, leaving aside any such unlawfulness, it is highly likely that the outcome for the claimant would not have been substantially different.”
Following the ruling, a Home Office spokesperson said: “We are pleased that the court has found in favour of the government’s position in this case and we are carefully considering our next steps.
“It would be inappropriate to comment further.”
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After the ruling, a legal spokesperson for Harry said he intended to appeal, adding: “The duke is not asking for preferential treatment, but for a fair and lawful application of Ravec’s own rules, ensuring that he receives the same consideration as others in accordance with Ravec’s own written policy.
“In February 2020, Ravec failed to apply its written policy to the Duke of Sussex and excluded him from a particular risk analysis.
“The duke’s case is that the so-called ‘bespoke process’ that applies to him is no substitute for that risk analysis.
“The Duke of Sussex hopes he will obtain justice from the Court of Appeal, and makes no further comment while the case is ongoing.”
Prince eventually gets green light to appeal against High Court ruling
In April 2024, Harry was refused permission to challenge the ruling by the High Court, but was told he could apply to challenge it again directly to the Court of Appeal.
He did so, and in June 2024 the Court of Appeal said it would hear the duke’s challenge following a direct application from his lawyers.
Granting the appeal, Judge David Bean said he was persuaded “not without hesitation” that Harry’s challenge has a real prospect of success.
The two-day Court of Appeal hearing is set to begin at around 10.30am on Tuesday.
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