A Ramsgate tower block resident says his dog ended up ‘eating himself alive’ after workmen carrying out a retrofit are thought to have brought bedbugs and fleas from other flats into his home.
Kennedy House resident Mark Hodder ended up spending £176 he had saved for food shopping on treatment for his pug Pedro and sprays to try to exterminate the infestation.
The 64-year-old former painter and gardener says the problem began in December while workmen were ripping out old storage heaters to replace them with new ones.
The dad-of-two said: “The workers entered my home, coming from an infested flat into my nice clean one and my flat became so infected I had to spend out £176 on my poor dog because he was eating himself alive and was just patched to pieces.
“It’s been a nightmare. I’d be laying in bed and feel them running on my face and in my mouth. I couldn’t sleep, I was nearly at the point of a nervous breakdown”
Mark phoned Thanet council to complain about the infestation and the amount of money he was spending and was told that TDC would call in a pest control contractor.
The flat was fumigated Christmas Eve and again on January 9 and is now clear.
Mark said the infestations are an issue in both Kennedy House and Trove Court and he no longer wants to let any workers inside his flat unless they are ‘suited and booted.’
He said: “My place is now spotless and I’m not letting anyone in unless they are suited and booted.
“I spent my Christmas food money so had nothing here but I needed to get my dog better and my flat clean. Now I’m just trying to survive until I am paid in March. A couple of people have been really great helping me with hampers of food and stuff.
“Pedro is getting much better now and he is such a lovely dog but I was nearly at the point of giving him to a rescue because of it.
“But fingers crossed everything has been fine since the treatment finished. Pedro is a lot calmer although he has still got a bit of skin infection on his tummy but I am treating that.
“I’m just glad this nightmare is over, it’s been a terrible time.”
Mark says the council is the landlord and wants the authority to deal with the root of the infestations to stop it spreading.
He says TDC was aware of the issue because workman have now been issued with a list of which flats are clear and which are thought to have had infestations.
He added: “Obviously the council know we have flats here with contamination of fleas and bedbugs so why aren’t they sorting it?”
A Thanet council spokesperson said: “”Thanet District Council is fully committed to providing high quality housing for all of our tenants. We are currently undertaking an extensive refurbishment programme to improve the tower blocks we manage.
“We know there is a small risk that pests could be spread through properties during the tower block retrofit and refurbishment project. To mitigate this risk, properties known to have had bedbugs previously will receive treatment before contractors enter. Additionally, staff are required to wear appropriate protective clothing. If a problem is identified inside a property, there are measures taken to ensure that contamination is contained.
“When we are made aware of a problem, we work with the resident and engage our pest control contractors to treat the affected area and prevent the spread to other flats in the block or communal areas.
“We were advised of an issue at one property in December and a pest control contractor attended swiftly. A follow up visit was made on Thursday 9 January 2025 and the flat was confirmed to be free of pests.”
Bedbugs can happen anywhere and to anyone, with bugs able to be passed as easily as sitting on a chair in a surgery or on public transport.
Tips (these actions will help but infestations will likely need treatment)
- wash affected bedding and clothing on a hot wash (60C) and tumble dry on a hot setting for at least 30 minutes
- put affected clothing and bedding in a plastic bag and put it in the freezer for 3 or 4 days
- clean and vacuum regularly – bedbugs are found in both clean and dirty places, but regular cleaning will help you spot them early
- do not keep clutter around your bed
- do not bring secondhand furniture indoors without carefully checking it first
- do not take luggage or clothing indoors without checking it carefully if you have come from somewhere where you know there were bedbugs
it brings a whole new meaning to hopping into bed i suppose
Always moaning. Must have the local rag on speed dial.
More poor journalism from the isle of Thanet news. The article mentions that the council provide free fumigation, so why are they also suggesting that this man had to pay £176 of his own money for spray treatments to get rid of the bugs.
Also, there is no nuance to the discussion, in relation to how there is a level of personal responsibility to get rid of bed bugs. As someone who’s had them in the past, the fumigation treatment is just one part of process. You have to keep all clothes in black sacks after washing them on a high heat, steam clean curtains and sofas and other soft furnishings, and vacuum and empty it immediately, as bed bugs are becoming more resilient to fumigation treatment.
You can hardly blame the council, when they offer free treatments and are clearly trying to reduce the spread of bedbugs, as again mentioned in the article. They have no authority to force tenants to complete these treatments (3 are usually required) or to follow the steps to help ensure they are effective. Just another article not providing any critical thinking, just rage bating readers into emotive nonsense. But I suppose an article of “bed bugs spread in a towerblocks, council doing all they can without evicting everyone, burning all the furniture/carpet and material in the building, fumigating it all and then letting everyone back in” wouldn’t read as well would it.
We don’t suggest he ‘had’ to spend £176. He says he had to spend that on his dog and sprays. It clearly says the council dealt with it but the problem was spread because workmen were having to enter different flats and some of those had infestations. We don’t rage bait and it has been written very evenly,as you acknowledge we say the council treated the flat and we say TDC makes efforts to reduce the spread. Personal responsibility does not work if you are in a flat block or HMO and others around you are not dealing with the issue.
Bed bugs leave little black dots that stick to clothing or bedsheets. If you see that then you know you have them. It’s best to spray as soon as you realise they are there as they multiply very quickly and get into all cracks and crevices. They are very hard to get rid off but residents can try repeated hot steam spraying which helps. Spray beds, sofas and hard furniture, especially the under sides and behind along skirting boards. They don’t like the cold and they can hibernate for 12 months without getting a bite.
Nasty little blighters to get on you and it can cause mental stress as well as you think they are never going to die.
They have had them in that tower block for years. TDC should get the pest control to spray all the remaining flats together, it’s the only way to eradicate them from a building, otherwise they will recontaminate the same flats over and over if people are going in and out.
Its all part of the UK’s descent into 3rd world status! I served in Africa decades ago, and we were issued with tins of DDT to use on our bedding, and mosquito nets because we all had lice! The tins were about the same as Talcum powder tins, so we used it after a shower, in the rain! That was in 1961 I suppose DDT would be frowned on nowadays!