"Super Bedbugs" Invasion: UK Hotels and Airlines On High Alert

As the UK prepares for a potential influx of French bed bugs, which may have developed into "super-bedbugs" resistant to insecticides, the aviation and hospitality industries are taking drastic measures to contain the outbreak. Travellers from France are being screened, and hotels and airlines are implementing rigorous cleaning protocols to prevent the spread of the pests.

Key Takeaways:

• Millennium Hotels and Resorts, operating 18 hotels in the UK, are asking new guests whether they have travelled from France as part of their screening process.
• The hotel chain, which includes the Millennium London hotel, is putting rooms out of service and thoroughly cleaning them after guests who have arrived from France depart.
• Eurostar trains running between London and Paris will undergo disinfection if there is even a "slightest doubt" of infestation.
• Transport for London is monitoring the Tube network for potential infestations.
• The aviation industry is closely monitoring the situation, with EasyJet stating that their aircraft are cleaned to a high standard every night, including disinfection of key cabin areas.
• Pest controllers have reported that the "super-bedbugs" are harder to kill than ever before, with some requiring multiple treatments to eradicate.
• Nicolas Roux de Bezieux, a pest control expert, has warned that the bedbugs may be "resistant to insecticides" and require "multiple treatments" to eliminate.

Statistics:

• Air France operates up to six direct flights a day from Paris to London.
• EasyJet operates more than ten direct flights between London and Paris each day.
• 18 hotels in the UK are operated by Millennium Hotels and Resorts, which are screening guests for potential bed bug infestations.
• Eurostar trains running between London and Paris will undergo disinfection if there is a suspected infestation.

Sources:

• Mail on Sunday
• TERESA Suárez/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock