Bedbugs: Fears over 'likely' outbreak because of England and Fiji Rugby World Cup clash

Fears are growing over a 'likely' outbreak of bedbugs in Britain ahead of England's Rugby World Cup showdown with Fiji on Sunday.

Thousands of fans are set to jet out to France, who are hosting the tournament, ahead of the blockbuster quarter-final clash.

And Nic Shacklock from Online-Bedrooms, speaking to the Daily Mail, says there's a huge chance of a huge outbreak in Britain as a result of fans travelling to watch England in action.

"It's estimated over a million fans are heading to the Rugby Village," he said.

"If everyone is using public transport while Paris is gripped by a bed bug infestation, it's more than likely an outbreak is heading to our shores.'

He added: "It's worth placing bin bags or thick plastic bags on seats while using the Metro as they don't like to cling onto smooth plastic materials.

"We also advise being cautious when you arrive at the hotel room.

"Check under your bed sheets and strip the entire room as the bugs can be hiding within the mattress and on the sofa."

France have been struggling to cope with the outbreak of bedbugs so far.

The French government have even shut several secondary schools as a result of the issue in the country.

Citizens have been discarding their mattresses in cities such as Marseille and Lyon.

Pictures show objects littering the streets, with locals also throwing out other items of furniture.

One Rugby fan, Natalie Shenkosky, has told the Mail she's worried about her trip to France due to the bedbugs infestation.

"I'm heading off to Marseille tomorrow for the rugby-filled weekend and the bed bug situation is definitely making me a bit wary," she said.

"It also feels like an infestation we shouldn't be having this day and age?

"I'm not taking my own sheets, but will definitely not be sitting on any transportation seats and will be keeping a close eye out for bugs in our Airbnb.

"I'll be travelling to Marseille with friends and family - we secured the tickets about a year ago now and they just so happen to be for the England and Wales game.

"We've so been looking forward to it, but bed bugs will not be ruining the weekend - although I can't lie I have had a few nightmares after seeing the viral videos of the bugs on transportation - which we will actively avoid if we can.

"I'll definitely be rooting for England, however my boyfriend used to work for the Wales rugby team so that will also be fantastic to watch."

Sadiq Khan, mayor of London, has insisted everything possible is being done in the city to prevent bedbugs from causing chaos.

"This is a real source of concern, right? People are worried about these bugs in Paris causing a problem in London," he said.

"I was in contact with TfL last week and this weekend.

"We're taking steps to make sure we don't have those problems in London, in relation to regular cleaning of not just the Tubes and our buses, but talking to the Eurostar as well.

"TfL have one of the best regimes to clean our assets on a nightly basis.

"We're speaking to our friends in Paris to see if there are any lessons to be learned.

"For a variety of reasons we don't think those issues will arise in London - but no complacency from TfL."

TFL themselves have said: "We are continuing to closely monitor our network but are not aware of any outbreaks in London.

"We are continuing to implement our rigorous and thorough cleaning measures that have been proven to keep both the interior and exterior of our trains clean.

"We are committed to providing a clean and safe environment on our bus, Tube and rail service for our customers and staff, and we would like to reassure our customers that we continue to maintain our already high standards of cleanliness, so our staff and customers can use the network safely and with confidence."