London's biggest bed bug hotspots revealed as capital dominates UK call-outs league table

New statistics released by leading pest control experts have shed light on which parts of London are seeing the highest levels of bed bugs.

Sorted by postcode, southwest London leads the charts with 337 call-outs, followed by east London on 329, southeast London on 327 and north London with 266.

When divided by district, the company’s top 15 areas with most call-outs are dominated by boroughs around the capital.

Islington is London’s bed bug capital, with 45 attended call-outs in the 12 months to October 2026, ahead of Croydon, Whitechapel and Aldgate, Poplar and Canary Wharf, and Battersea on 40 each, according to JG Pest Control call-out data.

Just two districts outside of Greater London make the UK’s top 15 work affected areas - east Oxford with 29 call-outs and east Brighton with 26.

Many of the worst affected areas contain a high amount of dense, fast-turnover rental housing around the centre, including a high proportion of student accommodation.

Call-outs per postcode district in the 12 months to October 2026

JG Pest Control

Bed bugs spread through luggage, transport and second-hand furniture - so often the busiest districts are the best connected ones.

JG Pest Control advises people to check mattress seams, bed frames and headboards for live insects, and to look out for shed skins, pepper-like droppings, and bites in lines of three or four along exposed skin.