A British holidaymaker has been left scarred with 200 bedbug bites after staying in a hotel.
The ordeal comes as fears grow that the bedbug outbreak in France could spread to the UK.
Holidaymaker, Sharon Haslam, 65, said the insects had left a “big red” blotch on her face and arms and now fears the blemishes may “never go away”.
After staying at the Calypso Hotel in Blackpool, Sharon and her friend Marian Pearson, 60, woke up to find themselves covered in an itchy rash.
British holidaymaker left scarred with bedbug bites
The pair made a last-minute booking at the hotel for two nights, costing £170, so they could join eight friends for a birthday bash in the resort town on September 8.
But when they got up the next morning, they found droplets of blood covering their bedding and a live bedbug crawling around next to them.
Sharon said they’d now received a full refund from their travel agency Booking.com, along with £100 in compensation, but still felt scarred from the experience.
However now she is hoping to alert others of the dangers of bedbugs as fears grow they're already on the march from Paris, prompting a deep clean of seats on London's tube network.
Speaking of the matter, Sharon said: "When we woke up, my friend pulled her sheets back and noticed there was blood. We thought ‘Where has that come from?’
“Then we found mine also had specs of blood all over the sheets as well. It took us ten minutes to work it out.
“We started to look around the floor and found droplets of blood, and then I found a live bed bug. I captured it in a little cup.
“I got to the reception and presented them with the bug in the cup.”
After leaving the hotel, Marian said the pair immediately doused themselves in bug spray, before finding alternative accommodation to stay in for their next night.
But when they got home, she said the bite marks had kept reappearing.
Marian was prescribed strong antibiotics, antihistamine tablets and creams - after doctors feared the bites could lead to an infection.
Sharing: "As soon as I arrived home, my partner took my luggage to the tip.
“We tied up the clothes in air-tight bags and then opened them in the washing machine and washed them.”
A spokesperson for the Calypso Hotel previously admitted they’d received previous complaints about “bug issues”.
But they said an inspector from Blackpool council found no evidence of bedbugs just two days before Marian and Sharon’s stay.
They said: “We have had few complaints about the bug issues. We take any complaint regarding bed bugs very seriously and deal with it immediately.
“Most of the time customers complain just to get a refund. A few weeks ago we had two rooms complaining about the same and when we checked with a UV torch no evidence was found.”
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel