Couple bitten by 'bed bugs' at Sands Hotel in Bournemouth

Southampton-based Stacey Saunders and Gurmukh Singh were so disgusted that they rushed to check out of the hotel in the middle of the night.

The pair said their trip to the Sands Hotel in Bournemouth was a “nightmare getaway” which left them “covered in bites”.

Stacey, 43, said: “It was really awful. We just wanted to get out of there.”

Stacey Saunders, 43, and Gurmukh Singh, 64 (Image: Stacey Saunders)

Stacey and her partner Gurmukh, 64, had booked to stay at the hotel in West Cliff Gardens as a pre-Christmas getaway and to celebrate Gurmukh’s birthday.

On the second night of their stay, on December 18, Stacey woke up shortly after midnight with a headache. 

READ MORE: Residents impacted by bed bugs at Bournemouth housing block

Stacey said: “I was going to take some tablets so I asked my fella to turn the light on and as he got up off the pillow, you could see the bugs just crawling all over the pillow.

“It was awful. So, at 1am in the morning we drove back home to Southampton. We had to strip in the hallway, and shower and bath so we didn’t bring any bugs back in.”

A bug found in the hotel room (Image: Stacey Saunders)

The couple have shared videos of bugs crawling over bed sheets, and photographs of bites to their hands and arms.

Stacy added: “They were 100 per cent bed bugs. It’s disgusting. I suffer with OCD so it has made my mental health really bad.

“We were covered in bites for Christmas Day.”

Following their stay, which cost them £110 each, Stacey and Gurmukh have contacted the hotel owner and holiday operator Daish’s Holidays to request compensation. 

Stacey Saunders and Gurmukh Singh’s bites (Image: Stacey Saunders)

Paul Harper, commercial director at Daish’s Holidays, said: “Health and safety is our number one priority. Unfortunately bed bugs are a nationwide issue which we take incredibly seriously.

"We have a rigorous policy that includes the use of external contractors for chemical and heat treatment.

“We responded immediately to the guests’ concerns and offered them alternative accommodation so they were able to continue their stay if they wished, and promised a full refund should they prefer to head home. The refund has since been issued. 

“I want to express my sincere apologies that this stay fell below expectations. I also wish to reassure guests that all appropriate procedures at the Bournemouth Sands have recently been undertaken to ensure there is no prevailing issue.”