We won’t let bed bugs bite says Fife Council ...

Single mum Wioleta Tulacz (27) who discovered that her council flat has bed bugs. Pic: George McLuskie.

Fife Council has come to the aid of a single Kirkcaldy mum who recently found out she has bed bugs in her flat after discovering red marks on her son’s body.

Wioleta Tulacz, who rents the local authority property in Overton Mains, took her two-year-old to the doctors three weeks ago after she noticed the marks on his legs.

The doctor thought it might be a virus but after Wioleta did some research on the Internet she learned that the marks could be bites from bed bugs.

She said: “I called Fife Council and spoke to someone saying I thought there were bed bugs in the flat.

Some of the bed bugs on the bed woodwork. Pic: George McLuskie.

“But when I asked if they could sent someone from pest control to get rid of them, I was told they don’t deal with bed bugs – that it is the tenant’s responsibility.”

But when the 27-year-old explained that she was a single parent and needed to have it confirmed that her property did indeed have bed bugs, pest control attended the property.

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Single mum Wioleta Tulacz (27) outside the property. Fife Council's pest control was due to deal with the bed bugs yesterday (Wednesday). Pic; George McLuskie.

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Wioleta continued: “Someone from pest control came out and said it was definitely bed bugs, but they can be very hard to see because they are so small.

“I had new furniture put in when I moved into the flat a couple of years ago, including new beds and mattresses, so I didn’t think the bed bugs could have come from that, but pest control said they could be coming from another property in the block.”

Wioleta said: “I have had to move in with my sister because I can’t stay in the flat with my son and my sister while it has bed bugs.

“The Council is saying it is my responsibility to deal with them but I am a single mum and I just don’t have the money to pay for a private company to come out and clean the flat.

“I would have thought that as the bed bugs are in the property it should be up to Fife Council to get rid of them.”

Wioleta later spoke to one of her neighbours who informed her that her property also had bed bugs.

A spokesman for Fife Council said the local authority was dealing with the problem. The spokesman said: “Pest control attended on Tuesday and confirmed the tenant has bedbugs in her son’s room.

“They attended again yesterday (Wednesday) to fumigate and spray the house. This will kill all bed bugs in the house.

“We will arrange access to the neighbouring property and have this surveyed for bed bugs to see if further treatment is required.”

The spokesman added: “If so, we will have the property treated and exterminated.”