Brighton Residents Report Extensive Bed Bug Infestation in Council Flats

Residents of an apartment building in Brighton report that their homes are “riddled” with bed bugs. Individuals living at Kingfisher Court in Albourne Close, Whitehawk, state that the parasites are “living within the fabric of the building,” with at least four flats confirmed to be infested. Pest control professionals engaged by Brighton & Hove City Council have been treating individual flats, but residents argue that a full building fumigation is required to resolve the issue. The council indicated that since 2022, it has “carried out 11 separate treatments on five different homes in this building and by the end of this week will have carried out another three.” Terri Avery, 32, who moved in with her family in April, stated that she only recently became aware of the bed bug problem. “I’m covered in over 100 bites, there’s going to be hundreds in there. We are riddled with them,” she said. She further added, “I put clean washing out on my balcony, bring it in and I have to physically shake off the bed bugs.” Mrs Avery commented, “There’s only so many you can kill or catch because they move a metre a minute. It’s within the walls, they’re coming through the walls and plug sockets. The safest bet would be to get everyone out and fumigate the whole building.” She asserted that treating flats individually was ineffective and that the problem had persisted for years. She further remarked, “I think the council owe everyone an apology, especially us tenants sitting here crying, wondering where we’re going to find the thousands of pounds to replace the furniture we’re throwing away.” Another resident reported experiencing an infestation as far back as 2020. They stated that while it had reportedly been resolved, they occasionally still observed “the odd one” in their flat. An anonymous woman informed BBC Sussex, stating, “You don’t sleep anyway with a young baby but we’ve barely slept. We feel like bugs are crawling all over us all the time.” She added, “The mental impact it has I don’t think anyone understands. They are so difficult to get rid of.” She also mentioned, “People have been told they’re in the fabric of the building so they’re going to be almost impossible to get rid of.” Kingfisher Court is identified as one of eight council-owned buildings in Brighton that may face future demolition due to structural deficiencies. Councillor Gill Williams, the cabinet member for housing and new homes, commented: “We completely appreciate how disruptive bedbugs can be and our sympathies are certainly with the residents who are experiencing infestations in their homes. We have recently contacted every home in the building letting residents know what to look out for and who to contact for help and will be doing so again this week. We’re doing all we can to remove the bedbugs, but I understand it is a frustrating process for residents. I would encourage any tenant to contact us directly if they have any concerns about bedbugs in their home so we can deal with as quickly and efficiently as possible.” For updates, BBC Sussex can be followed on Facebook, X, and Instagram. Story ideas may be submitted to southeasttoday@bbc.co.uk or via WhatsApp at 08081 002250. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC disclaims responsibility for content on external sites and provides information regarding its external linking policy.