A Northampton father is telling the council housing provider to fumigate an entire block of flats after claims the whole building could be infested with bugs.
In July 2022, Chronicle and Echo received a call from another resident of St Marks House, who said she fled her property because of bugs. And now Shaquille Alves, who recently moved into St Marks House, says his mum and six-year-old son have woken up with “lots of rashes”.
St Marks House on Herbert Street
The 26-year-old said: “I’ve never had bed bugs in my life. I’ve never seen a bed bug. And then my mother stayed in bed with my son and I stayed in the living room and in the living room they woke up in the morning with lots and lots of rashes.
“Pest control confirmed there were eggs here but I was still against it because it’s my apartment and I’ve never been bitten before and I’m a very clean person. I just didn’t understand why there should be bed bugs in my house. Last week was the first time I physically saw one crawl on top of me and on the door. Since then I can’t even touch anything. I’ve been itching and rubbing ever since. It’s really, really bad. I feel like my skin is crawling. It just drives me crazy.”
Shaquille says he raised this with NPH, who he claims initially told him to “take care of it himself.”
The father said he “100 million percent” should have been made aware of past and current bed bug problems in the building before moving in, but he wasn’t.
Shaquille believes the entire building may be infested and claims at least four properties are currently infested and two have been recently infested.
When asked about a solution, Shaquille said, “I’d like to see everyone removed from the block and every single apartment fumigated, that seems like the only realistic option.”
Shaquille says he may have to throw away thousands of pounds worth of furniture, which “will be devastating”.
After being contacted by Chronicle and Echo, NPH has since dispatched a pest control contractor.
An NPH spokeswoman said: “We are sorry that Mr Alves is experiencing problems with bed bugs on his property, we understand how difficult this pest problem is for him and his family. This problem at Mr Alves house was first reported to both of us weeks ago and before Mr Alves moved into his house we had not received any reports of an infestation at this property.
“We have carried out pest control treatments on a small number of properties on Mr Alves’ block and we have already arranged for our pest control contractors to visit Mr Alves on Monday 14th November. We will continue to work with residents and are taking necessary steps to access and address affected properties.
“We would take this opportunity to remind residents in all blocks that the treatment will only be fully effective if contractors can gain access to the affected properties and carry out the full course of treatment.”
