A young Hounslow mum is the latest victim of bed bugs as infestations of the pests climb by as much as 1,000 per cent within three years.

Claire Prince, 24, and her four children are sleeping on the floor of her Benson Close home after she was forced to throw out their beds because blood sucking pests have left them covered in bites.

"I have to sleep on the floor of the living room with my two year-old, my three month old sleeps in her push chair and my eight and seven year old have to sleep on a blow up mattress," she said.

"The sheets have to be washed twice a day because they get covered in blood, it's awful."

According to David Cane, managing director of bed-bugs.co.uk , the UK's most established specialist firm, the problem of bed bugs has increased by a massive 500-1,000 per cent over the past three years.

He said: "Previously they were just a problem you would find in youth hostels or hotels, now they have resurfaced at a dramatic rate and we are finding them in pubs, restaurants, public transport and in people's homes."

David, who claims west London hotspots for bed bugs include neighbouring Twickenham (TW1), said the problem can only be fixed by professionals but many housing authorities are removing responsibility from tenancy agreements following the rise in cases.

In Claire's case it would cost her £130 to have two rooms in her home treated by Hounslow Council pest control contractors. Hounslow Homes claim it is the tenants' responsibilty to eradicate the pests. But as a single mum, Prince says this is a cost she simply can't afford.

BED BUG FACTS
- Bed bugs have nothing to do with living conditions
- London is currently experiencing a massive influx of bed bugs
- They are transferred through contact in a similar way to nits or fleas
- Adult bed bugs are brown to reddish-brown, oval-shaped, flattened, and about 3/16 inch to 1/5 inch long.
- Their flat shape enables them to hide in cracks and crevices thinner than a piece of paper.
- They are nocturnal blood-feeders using a barbed spike to dig a hole in the skin by repeatedly hammering at the surface.

HOW DO YOU KNOW YOU HAVE THEM?
- Blood stains from crushed bugs or rusty (sometimes dark) spots of excrement on sheets and mattresses, bed clothes, and walls.
- Faecal spots, eggshells, and shed skins may be found in the vicinity of their hiding places.
- An offensive, sweet, musty odour from their scent glands may be detected when bed bug infestations are severe. As the smell develops over time you may become accustomed to it