A man says he has been bitten by bedbugs more than 1,000 times despite repeated efforts to rid his home of the pest.
Michael Giltinane, 63, a social housing tenant in Greenwich, south-east London, has had pest control visit his home six times.
The bugs have left him unable to sleep, waking up to find bed bugs crawling on his body.
Terrifying photographs show that Michael has been bitten all over his body – even on his face.
A previous infestation lasted around two years, but returned around six months ago.
He said: ‘As soon as I try to sleep again, I feel something crawling on me. It’s terrible, I’ve had nothing like this all my life.’
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The infestation has left Michael bloodied from bites, and he’s had to box up his clothing.
Despite family members asking for him to be moved to a different home, they’ve been told it’s not possible.
Michael says the issue has been even worse for him as he suffers from depression and anxiety, as well as Type 2 Diabetes.
Greenwich Council said it was unable to comment on individual cases but said treating bedbugs is ‘extremely difficult.’.
A council spokesperson said: ‘Infestations of this type can be extremely distressing, and we understand the impact this can have on residents. Although we’re unable to comment on individual cases, treating bedbugs is extremely difficult.
‘We provide free pest control services for our social housing tenants, but for treatments to have the best chance of working, we rely on tenants to allow access to their home.
‘We also rely on each room being prepared in advance with furniture moved away from walls and possessions packed safely in bin liners. Without this cooperation, we can’t treat the infestation.’
The council said bedbugs can spread by travelling on belongings and urged residents to take measures including not putting luggage on beds and checking second-hand furniture before bringing it into their homes.
It added: ‘If a tenant wishes to move because of a pest control issue, then they would need to discuss this with their tenancy officer so an assessment can be made.’
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