Will bed bugs travel from Paris to the UK? They’re already here, expert says

Published

2 years ago

October 5, 2023

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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.

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”.

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.

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.

UK

Prince William visibly moved during reunion with bereaved mother

Published

6 hours ago

October 10, 2025

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Prince William visibly moved during reunion with bereaved mother

Prince William has fought back tears as he was reunited with a woman who lost her husband to suicide after the death of her young son.

William became visibly emotional while talking to Rhian Mannings during a short film released to mark World Mental Health Day and to launch a £1m project aimed at preventing suicide.

It was always going to be a difficult conversation because of Rhian’s heartbreaking experiences, but both wanted to record the video to highlight the taboo that still exists around suicide.

In 2012, Rhian’s one-year-old son George died suddenly from a hidden illness. Just five days later, her husband Paul died by suicide.

In a deeply moving discussion, William asks Rhian what she would say to Paul now if she could, with her replying: “There’s only one thing I would ever say to him if I had time with him, and that would be, ‘Why didn’t you speak to me?’ I think… I ask myself that every single day.

“He was absolutely devastated, he did keep blaming himself that weekend.

“But I would just like to sit him down like this and just say, ‘Why didn’t you come to me?’ Because he’s missed out on just so much joy, and we would have been okay. And I think that’s what the hardest thing is, we would have been okay.”

But she then stops and says to William, “Are you okay?” as you see him on camera looking visibly upset, and he simply replies: “I’m sorry. It’s just, it’s hard to ask these questions.”

Filmed in Rhian’s home in Cardiff, they also talk about the harmful taboo that still exists around suicide.

William says: “Unfortunately, there’s still a lot of stigma around suicide. Did you feel that at the time?”

Responding, Rhian says: “I was quite surprised by it, I’d never been touched by suicide, it was something that happened in the news. Nobody would talk about it or actually say what happened. And I found that really confusing at the time”.

The film marks the launch of the Royal Foundation’s Suicide Prevention Network, backed by more than 20 organisations and funding of over £1 million from the Foundation. It aims to transform suicide prevention across the UK.

Rhian’s charity, 2Wish, forms part of the new network. She set up the charity to make sure others who lost a child suddenly would receive the bereavement support they need and deserve.

Anyone feeling emotionally distressed or suicidal can call Samaritans for help on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org in the UK. In the US, call the Samaritans branch in your area or 1 (800) 273-TALK

UK

Madeleine McCann’s sister tells court ‘stalker’ sent edited images to ‘prove’ she was missing girl

Published

6 hours ago

October 10, 2025

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Madeleine McCann's sister tells court 'stalker' sent edited images to 'prove' she was missing girl

Madeleine McCann’s sister has said her family’s alleged stalker sent “creepy” messages about “flashbacks” and edited images to try to show a family resemblance.

Amelie McCann told a court that Julia Wandelt was “desperate” to convince her she was missing Madeleine and had claimed her memories included playing ‘ring-a-ring-a-roses’ as a child.

The court heard Wandelt allegedly sent the 20-year-old numerous social media messages and letters. The first, in January 2024, allegedly read: “I know so many things. I don’t know if this is the real account for Amelie McCann but I can tell you my memories.”

As it happened: Madeleine McCann’s sister tells trial of ‘creepy’ messages

Ms McCann told Leicester Crown Court it was “quite disturbing that she’s coming up with these supposed memories,” as she was clearly not her sister.

“It makes me feel quite uncomfortable because it is quite creepy she is giving those details and trying to play with my emotions,” she said.

Madeleine McCann disappeared in Praia da Luz, Portugal in May 2007. She has never been found.

Wandelt, 24, from Lubin in Poland, denies subsequently stalking the family.

However, Madeleine‘s sister told the trial Wandelt had sent “persistent” messages urging her and her mother to take a DNA test, as well as images that were “clearly altered or edited”.

In one instance, she allegedly printed pictures of herself and Amelie McCann and sent them to the family’s home address.

A separate online message is said to have shown an image of her and Wandelt side-by-side.

“She’d clearly edited the pictures to make me look more like her, which was disturbing,” Ms McCann told the court. “I didn’t look like that and I knew it had been changed.”

“She is Polish and has Polish family who are her parents. It didn’t make any sense to me,” she added.

Amelie McCann gave evidence remotely on Thursday, a day after her parents also described the distress they had felt, including when the defendants allegedly turned up at their house last December.

She told the court she was scared by a message from Wandelt, which allegedly stated she would “do whatever to prove my identity” as Madeleine.

“It shows you the lengths she would go to, to try and get heard, which is a bit scary because you don’t know what she would do next,” said Ms McCann.

She said she had blocked Wandelt on multiple social media sites, but that her alleged actions were hardest for her mother, Kate.

“It definitely took a toll on her and her wellbeing because all the time her phone would be going off and it would be Julia,” she said.

Following the alleged December visit by Wandelt and her co-defendant 61-year-old Cardiff woman Karen Spragg – who also denies stalking – Ms McCann said she returned home from university and her parents had strengthened security.

They told her there was “an alarm we could press and alert the police,” the court heard.

‘Upsetting and disrespectful’

Amelie’s twin, Sean McCann, also gave evidence via a written statement in which he said Wandelt had caused a “great deal of stress”.

He said her claim to be his sister was “upsetting” and “deeply disturbing” – but that he felt “guilty” for feeling that way as he believes she might be suffering with a mental health condition.

However, he added: “If she is fully aware she is not Madeleine, yet makes these claims she is, that will be very upsetting for me.”

Sean McCann, 20, told the court he had also received Instagram messages from Wandelt but immediately blocked her.

A friend of the McCanns, Ellie McQueen, was the final witness on Thursday morning and said Wandelt had sent her “relentless” messages online.

She told jurors the first was on Facebook in June 2024 from the profile “Julia Julia”.

Ms McQueen said Wandelt asked for help to contact the McCanns: “She seemed to know my mum was very close with Kate,” she told the court.

“She was trying to send me DNA evidence to say she is Maddie,” she told the court, adding that Wandelt seemed “upset and aggravated”.

One message allegedly sent by the defendant asks why Kate and Gerry McCann did not turn up to a vigil for Madeleine in their village, which she attended.

In other messages, Wandelt allegedly said she “remembered” a life with Kate and Gerry McCann and even claimed to have the same “spot in my right eye” and “lots of the same moles” as Madeleine.

The trial continues.

UK

Discord hack shows dangers of online age checks as internet policing hopes put to the test

Published

9 hours ago

October 10, 2025

admin

Discord hack shows dangers of online age checks as internet policing hopes put to the test

Messaging platform Discord has said the official ID photos of around 70,000 users have been stolen by hackers.

The app, which is popular with gamers and teenagers, said the hackers targeted a firm responsible for verifying the ages of its users. Discord said its own platform was not breached.

The stolen data could include personal information, partial credit card numbers and messages with Discord’s customer service agents, the firm said.

No full credit card details, passwords or messages and activity beyond conversations with Discord customer support were leaked, it added.

Discord said it had revoked the third-party service’s access and was continuing to investigate. It said all affected users have been contacted.

“Looking ahead, we recommend impacted users stay alert when receiving messages or other communication that may seem suspicious,” it said.

Until recently, a hack like this could not have happened, because companies had no need to process and collect proofs of age.

Now, so many governments are following the UK and introducing age verification for unsuitable or pornographic content that a company like Discord has to roll out age checks for a decent portion of its 200 million active users.

It’s a bit like the way that shops have to check your age if you’re buying alcohol – only because it’s online, it comes with a lot of additional complications.

A shop, for instance, won’t keep a copy of your passport once they’ve checked your age.

And it definitely won’t keep it in a massive (yet strangely light) safe along with thousands of other passport photocopies, stored right by its front door, ready to be taken.

Online, it’s surprisingly easy to do just that.

It’s worth noting that the age verification system used by Discord wasn’t hacked itself. That system asked people to take a photo of themselves, then used software to estimate their age. Once the check was complete, the image was immediately deleted.

The problem came with the appeals part of the process, which was supplied to Discord by an as-yet-unnamed third party.

If someone thought that the age verification system had wrongly barred them from Discord they could send in a picture of their ID to prove their age. This collection of images was hacked. As a result, Discord says, more than 70,000 IDs are now in the possession of hackers.

(The hackers themselves claim that the number is much bigger – 2,185,151 photos. Discord says this is wrong and the hackers are simply trying to extort money. It’s a messy situation.)

There are ways to make age verification safer. Companies could stop storing photo ID, for instance (although then it would be impossible to know for sure if their checks were correct).

And advocates of ID cards will point out that a proper government ID could avoid the need to send pictures of your passport simply to prove your age. You’d use your digital ID instead, which would stay safely on your device.

But the best way to stop data being hacked is not to collect it in the first place.

We’re at the start of a defining test – can governments actually police the internet? Or will the measures that are supposed to make us safer actually end up making us less secure?