Arabella James hasn’t sat down on public transport for over a week now. As a south-west Londoner working in the City, the executive assistant is used to the daily battle for a seat on the Northern Line each morning — until this month, anyway.
“Suddenly I’ve never been happier to perch against the window on the Tube rather than fight for a seat,” says James, 29, in a nod to the so-called ‘super-bedbug’ infestation that’s sweeping Paris and has, according to some experts, already made its way to London. Given the Eurostar’s direct connection into King’s Cross, the Tube has been pinpointed as a potential hotspot for the blood-sucking, apple seed-sized insects, whose bites cause painful itching, with TikTok users already sharing now-viral videos of what they believe to be bedbugs on the Victoria Line and DLR last week.
