Bed bug infestation forces Northampton man to sleep in his car

Michael Kemp caught nine bugs at the start of the latest infestation

A pensioner is at his "wits' end" after being driven to sleep in his car due to a bed bug infestation in his flat owned by a retirement housing company.

Michael Kemp, 83, from Northampton, said he had experienced the bugs before but this latest episode had forced him to leave his home overnight.

A visit by a pest controller has failed to solve the problem at the property.

Housing association EMH, which owns the complex, has apologised for the distress caused to residents.

'I woke up itching'

Mr Kemp said the problem began in Murray House, a retirement housing complex in the Abington area of the town, in July.

"I woke up in the middle of the night itching and I knew immediately from my previous experience.

"I caught them with Sellotape, I caught nine [but] there were others that got away."

Michael Kemp has been catching the bed bugs with sticky tape

He said the complex warden told him that other flats were infested and bugs had been in the building for at least 10 years.

Mr Kemp said he reported the problem immediately but nothing was done: "I was told it was my responsibility; I won't accept that," he added.

The building was treated by a pest controller and Mr Kemp was told it was safe to sleep in the flat but the bugs struck again.

"That night, within quarter of an hour of getting into bed, I was bitten again. I caught over 25 bed bugs," he said.

He is now sleeping in his car which, while he is not sleeping very well, he finds preferable to getting bitten.

Michael Kemp says the bed bugs have forced him to sleep in his car

Mr Kemp said he was at his "wits' end" and he had been told a pest controller would have to make two more visits over the next fortnight to clear the bugs.

'Difficult to eradicate'

Christine Ashton, from EMH, told the BBC: "We will be applying a further chemical treatment programme to eradicate the bed bugs over the next few weeks, and are committed to continuing visits over the next 12 months to ensure the issue does not arise again.

"Bed bugs can be difficult to eradicate and we have also provided advice and guidance to our residents on what they have do alongside the treatment to make it work effectively.

"We are sorry about the distress caused to residents as result of this issue."