Rentokil said it saw a 32% jump in enquiries about bedbugs from January to September this year compared with a year earlier, amid worries of infestation in the UK after reports from France.
French social and traditional media have reported extensively about bed bugs on trains and in cinemas and the government worries about the impact on tourism and the Paris Olympics, which start in July 2024.
Last week, the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, speaking to social media publisher PoliticsJOE, said people were worried about bed bugs 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.
Rentokil said it tracked a 65% increase year-on-year in recorded bed bug activity in the second quarter of 2023, versus last year.