Bed bugs have been reported in a busy office block in Canary Wharf as sniffer dogs are drafted in to help find infestations. The government offices were emptied on Wednesday evening after fears the bed bugs could spread through the capital.
It comes just months after an outbreak in Paris was reported, with infestations found in schools, trains, hospitals and cinemas.
Workers at 10 South Colonnade, which is in the shadow of the main One Canada Square tower at Canary Wharf, have been told that bed bugs were discovered on the fourth four of the building, reports the Mirror. Government bodies based in the office block include the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).
The Government announced in 2016 that it was taking over the 11-floor building that was previously home to Barclays Bank on a 15 year lease with thousands of civil servants relocating from Whitehall.
Staff in the building have been advised to visit an NHS website that warns that bed bugs can “hide in many places, including on bed frames, mattresses, clothing, furniture, behind pictures and under loose wallpaper”.
“Some people have a reaction to the bites. They can be very itchy and there may be painful swelling,” it adds. “A severe allergic reaction is also possible but rare.”
The Government Property Agency informed workers that they have been made aware of an insect infestation. “We believe that the infestation is due to ‘Bed Bugs’ and is currently confined to the fourth floor only,” they said. “Whilst these insects are not normally associated with office environments, both GPA and our supply partners have experience in dealing with these situations.
“We are carrying out a treatment on the fourth floor this week, which will be repeated every five to seven days, over a four-week period. As the areas will need to be vacated for up to five hours all treatments will be carried out-of-hours.”
They added: “As this pest may migrate around the building, as a precaution for the rest of the building we will be conducting a survey of the whole building. This will be carried out by a specially trained dog, which is able to identify bed bugs and more importantly where the bed bugs are situated in the building.”
Bed bug detection dogs go through similar training to the sniffer dogs used to find drugs, money and explosives.
They are trained to detect the pheromones emitted by bed bugs. London Mayor Sadiq Khan in October warned that the prospect of a bed bug infestation on the capital’s public transport network was “a real cause for concern”.
A government spokesman said: “A treatment was applied to a small section of the office outside of working hours after concerns were raised. A subsequent inspection found no evidence of infestation. This treatment has not impacted the ability of staff to work in the building today. We will continue to monitor the building and take appropriate action.”
