TikTok video shows ‘bedbug’ on London Victoria Line tube

The footage, which was posted on October 8, shows a small brown insect on the trouser leg of somebody sitting on the Victoria line.

The eight second clip, which has more than 1.9 million views on TikTok, is captioned: “Minding my own business on the Victoria Line.

@lassogold Minding my own business on the victoria line, a f**king bed bug is on my leg. Said he’d got a great deal on the eurostar and wondered if I could take him home. No!! Sort it out @Transport for London #bedbugs #bedbugslondon #bedbugsparis #tube #infestation ♬ original sound – Lasso Gold

 

“A f***ing bed bug is on my leg.

“Said he’d got a great deal on the Eurostar and wondered if I could take him home.

“Sort it out Transport for London.”

Bedbugs feed on blood by biting people, creating wounds that can be itchy but do not usually cause other health problems.

The insects often live on furniture or bedding and can spread by being on clothes or luggage.

Professor Richard Wall, of the University of Bristol’s School of Biological Sciences, told the Metro that the insect in the video is not “flat enough” to be a bedbug. 

He said: “I am also pretty confident that it’s not a tick either (too big). It’s worth noting that bedbugs are largely nocturnal.”

Some people were left shocked in the comments of the video, with one commenting: “My worst nightmare. They are so hard to get rid of.”

Another person said: “I can’t do this. This makes my skin crawl.”

Bedbugs have also been reported across France, with many cases in Paris.

Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said Transport for London is “taking steps” to prevent the insects spreading across the city on its services.

He told website PoliticsJoe: “This is a real source of concern. People are worried about these bugs in Paris causing a problem in London.

“I was in contact with TfL last week and this weekend.

“We’re taking steps to make sure we don’t have those problems in London, in relation to regular cleaning of the Tube and our buses.

“(We’re) talking to Eurostar as well.

“I want to reassure those watching and those listening: TfL have one of the best regimes to clean our assets on a nightly basis.

“We’re speaking to our friends in Paris to see if there are any lessons to be learned.

“For a variety of reasons we don’t think those issues will arise in London but (there is) no complacency from TfL.”

A spokesperson for TfL confirmed it is not aware of any bedbugs outbreaks in London.

It added that it is continuting to closely monitor its network by carrying out thorough cleaning measures. 

It added: ” “We are continuing to closely monitor our network but are not aware of any outbreaks in London. 

“We are continuing to implement our rigorous and thorough cleaning measures that have been proven to keep both the interior and exterior of our trains clean. 

“We are committed to providing a clean and safe environment on our bus, Tube and rail service for our customers and staff, and we would like to reassure our customers that we continue to maintain our already high standards of cleanliness, so our staff and customers can use the network safely and with confidence.”