A Southampton family has come forward about the horror of being forced to live in 'bedbug hell' for nearly three years.

The family are council tenants and live in a two-bedroom maisonette in Summit Way, Midanbury.

The mother, who wished to remain anonymous, said that not long after moving to the property in September 2020, she noticed a bite on her child.

She said: “Ever since then my family have been living in Hell. My children tell me they want it to stop, and it breaks my heart that I can’t do anything for them.”

READ MORE: Southampton woman fed up with bed bug infestation in VIVID home

After checking all around the house, she found that the sofa was full of bed bugs – which was a surprise as she had not had trouble at her last property.

Daily Echo: The bedbugs have been livivng in the walls of the property

She continued: “I contracted Rentokil – who came out and got rid of the bed bugs in the sofa – until I bought a new sofa that soon became infested as well.”

“I have had to replace everything we own and after that didn’t work, I ripped up the carpets and skirting boards and discovered the bedbugs are in the walls.

“This has massive implications for my health and the health of my kids. I spent most nights up staying up and sat around my children, killing the bedbugs that are crawling on and around them.

“I want my children to have a cosy home where they aren’t being eaten alive every night and waking up with hundreds of bites on their bodies.

“I feel that I’ve got PTSD from this, and my kids feel the same way. No mother wants to send their child to school covered in bites.”

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The mother said she had been working with the council to get treatment, including powder and heat steaming, but so far nothing has changed.

Daily Echo: The family have tried many treatments but the bedbugs continue

A Southampton City Council spokesperson said: “Where tenants detect bed bugs in their homes, we recommend they get advice immediately from either our Pest Control team or an alternative private company.

“Treatment plans can vary; depending on the severity of the infestation several visits may be needed, and if this doesn’t work, further support will be offered on a case-by-case basis and may incur extra costs.

“We also rely on tenants to cooperate with the procedure and allow access at the agreed appointment times.

“We provide lots of advice, including what to do after treatments have been carried out, on our website.”