A GLASGOW woman hit out at her housing association after sleeping on a chair for more than five weeks, due to a bedbug issue.
Alexandra Noone, from Pollokshields, claims she has been struggling with the pests for almost two months and Southside Housing Association did not provide enough support.
After notifying the company, a contractor carried out pest control in the flat, but the tenant claims they failed to kill the bedbugs.
The 77-year-old was forced to pay a private company to successfully eradicate the insects.
She said: "I can’t live, for two months, in a bed full of bugs.
“I’ve lived in Glasgow my whole life, never saw them before.
“They weren’t doing their jobs properly.
“I couldn’t live with that, I just had to get somebody in.
“I had to pay him to come out, to spray and kill them."
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During the infestation, the resident said her body was covered in painful bites, leaving her unable to use her bed, which had a major impact on her mental and physical well-being.
She added: “I wasn’t in my bed, I was sleeping in a chair for five and a half weeks.
“My back was so scratchy, I was so ill and I am still quite ill from it all.
“I just felt like killing myself because that, to me, is torture.
“My back and legs were all bitten and I had a very severe reaction to the bites.
“They were crawling all over."
The tenant, who has lived at the building for 14 years, said the issue was not confined to her living space.
Her neighbours, including her 93-year-old uncle, were also affected by the blood-sucking insects.
Ms Noone also paid to have the infestation removed from his flat, but she said she feels bad for the other residents, who may not be able to afford the pest control services.
She said: “It’s shocking, asking people to lie in bed like that. Maybe the bug bites don’t bother some people but I am not used to living like that."
The pensioner demands action as she feels that the housing association did not provide her sufficient support.
She said: “It’s shocking, all I have done for the last six weeks is shout.
“They need to fill in a form and get me a house out of here."
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A Southside Housing Association spokesperson said: "Southside Housing Association arranged to have a survey carried out and treatment applied to the property in response to reports of bed bugs. Other dwellings are also being treated.
"Access to Flat 12 has proved to be difficult, and we are aware Ms Noone arranged for an alternative contractor to visit also and carry out an assessment.
"We have arranged for another independent contractor to carry out a further assessment and treatment, and providing access is permitted, this took place on Tuesday.
"The association responded to this incident when reported and will continue to respond to this incident until such times as the situation is resolved."
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