Mum has 'cried many tears' over insect infestation

Lindsey and her 10-month-old have been living with an infestation of insect since March

A woman in temporary accommodation that is infested with insects has called a council's refusal to rehouse her family "inhumane".

Lindsey, from Reading, and her 10-month-old son moved into the bedsit in March and she said it has become infested with pharaoh ants and mosquitos.

She said she cannot find a safe space to feed her son without them getting into his food or milk.

A spokesperson for Reading Borough Council said: "We appreciate the concern the ant infestation is causing but we are taking appropriate action to deal with the situation."

Lindsey said: “We had a few bugs when we moved in but I didn’t think anything of it.

“I noticed they [the bugs] where in his prep machine and even if I make it fresh, they obviously like the smell of the formula.

“It was then progressively worse, they were in unopened food and I had to throw all of that away.

“It’s been very stressful I’ve cried many tears.”

Lindsey has found pharaoh ants and mosquitos everywhere in the bedsit

Lindsey said she reached out to the council, which sent round pest control.

“Pest control told me it was meant to get worse after 48-hours and that it would take two-weeks to get better," she said.

“I’ve found them in the bed and the kitchen, areas that they [pest control] said that they wouldn’t be in."

Lindsey and her son have been given steroid cream by a doctor because they now have a skin condition.

Her GP has written a letter to the council, requesting that they be moved immediately – which Lindsey said had been "ignored".

“The council have said it is perfectly safe for me and my son to be in this environment," she said.

“I think it is really inhuman that they have left us in this situation."

A spokesperson for Reading Borough Council said that "the team was notified by the tenant of the problem" and pest control contractors visited to "apply a gel bait".

They said: "It does take some time for the bait to have an effect and in the meantime our tenant has been advised to keep all food sealed and to ensure kitchen units and worktops are clear of food debris."