A KENT Premier Inn has been branded worse than a war zone by an army vet.
Scott Simpson claims he was “eaten alive by 100 bed bug bites” in one of its £69 double rooms – as hotel admits there was an “infestation”.
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Scott says he was covered in bed bug bitesCredit: Kennedy News and Media
The former soldier checked in for an overnight stay at the budget chain hotel in Herne Bay during a work trip last month.
The following day, Scott, who now works as a mechanical engineer, says he was horrified to discover 100 tiny bite marks all over his body.
The dad-of-two dashed to a supermarket where he claims a pharmacist confirmed the red welts in small clusters and zigzag lines appeared to be bedbug bites.
Three weeks on from his visit on November 27, the 43-year-old said most of the bites have faded, but he has been left with some lingering painful spots.
Premier Inn have apologised to Scott after independent investigations confirmed “traces of infestations” and offered him £75 worth of leisure vouchers.
However, Scott claimed it was “disgusting” that it took the hotel chain two and a half weeks to formally respond to his complaint.
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The mechanical engineer had been staying at a Kent Premier InnCredit: Google Maps/Kennedy News
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Scott said he had bites from his head to his feetCredit: Kennedy News and Media
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Scott’s colleague also spotted the bite marks after he took his top offCredit: Kennedy News and Media
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Scott said he had to take antihistamines for two weeksCredit: Kennedy News and Media
Scott, from Rainham, Kent, said: “I’ve served three tours of war-torn Bosnia from 1994 to 1998 and I’ve never had to sleep in such squalid conditions.
“Bosnia and Sarajevo in ’94 and ’95 was absolutely disgusting but I wasn’t eaten alive in my own bed.
“The bites were painful and still are. They were 100 of them all over my body, all the way from my toes to my face.”
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Scott checked out of the “clean-looking” room at 6am the following day [November 28] but claims his back soon felt irritated and itchy – before discovering inflamed red welts across his back.
He went to a pharmacy to buy anti-allergy medication and then went home, stripped off, threw his clothes in a hot wash before scrubbing himself in the shower.
Scott said: “I ended up taking my jacket and jumper off because my back was so itchy.
“One of the other lads took a picture of my back and said I’d been bitten all over.
“It wasn’t until then I realised it wasn’t just one bite – then I started getting itchy on my legs, knees, torso – all the way from my toes to my hands and my face.
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Scott branded the experience worse than war zonesCredit: Kennedy News and Media
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Scott says he was bitten aliveCredit: Kennedy News and Media
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The former solider is now working as a mechanical engineerCredit: Kennedy News and Media
“I had one on my cheek and one on the back of my neck – the rest were on my back downwards – I assumed straight away it was bedbugs and that they were 100 per cent from Premier Inn.”
Concerned he might take any creepy crawly stowaways home with him, Scott put all of his clothes into a hot wash and relegated his suitcase to his freezing garage.
Scott said: “The itching was quite ferocious. One night I woke up with really itchy knees, whereas the next night my elbows were really itchy.
“The group of 13 bites on my ankle were the worst, they did swell up and I’m still scarred from them.
“When I put my hands on the bites they were really hot, it was like my body was fighting off some sort of infection.
“I put some cream for bites and stings I found in my medicine cupboard to try and calm them down and drank two bottles of Piriton over two weeks.
“I put everything on a 60 degree wash and just left my suitcase in the garage – it’s freezing out there so it’ll kill anything on it.”
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Scott says it took weeks for the hotel to get back to himCredit: Kennedy News and Media
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Scott claims some of the bites left scarringCredit: Kennedy News and Media
Scott, who has travelled extensively for work since he was 16, said he was “disgusted” with the way Premier Inn have handled his complaint.
He said: “I’m disgusted with Premier Inn, I [didn’t get] a response for two-and-a-half-weeks.
“I just hope it doesn’t happen to anyone else, this was my main reason for bringing it to their attention – to get it sorted.
“I would prefer anything rather than be ignored, I think it’s just wrong.
“The company I work for use Premier Inn all over the country so many times over many years.
“We’re probably a drop in the ocean to their turnover, but it’s just wrong they [took so long to] come back to me or my company.
“I’m not after half a million pounds and a bottle of champagne, I’m just after an apology and an assurance it won’t happen again. I don’t want this happening to anybody else.”
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