𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

Labour has hit back against claims by London bus drivers that their vehicles were “infested” with cockroaches. Bus and roads minister Simon Lightwood MP told The Express: “I understand there have been reports about some cockroaches in some TfL buses. I understand they have launched an investigation into this, and I’m confident they’ll do all they can to make sure that this issue is addressed and investigated accordingly.”

When asked if he had a sense of who was responsible for the insects purportedly roaming on the vehicles, he added: “You’re asking me the speculate on a news story I read a little bit. “They’ve already said they’re going to investigate the allegations, the claims that are being made, and I’m sure they’ll take prompt action where it is necessary.”

On whether he would like to see local authorities checking their buses, Mr Lightwood said: “So I’m pretty certain this is an isolated case, and that TfL will will take action if necessary after their investigation.”

“I went to take a sip from my drink and felt something in my mouth,” a driver told London Bus Forums.

“I spat it out and saw it was a cockroach. I felt sick and ended up vomiting.”

A TfL spokesperson said: “We have received no further reports of pest sightings, and we remain committed to working with operators to provide a clean environment for staff and customers.

“Most TfL welfare facilities are cleaned multiple times a day, and at a minimum daily, to maintain hygiene and safety standards. All buses are also cleaned every night before entering service and reports such as these are rare.

“While pest sightings are uncommon across our network, we take any report seriously and will urgently investigate any specific incidents raised.

“As with any reports, we and our operators will take appropriate action as part of the investigation, which can include taking buses out of service for inspection, deep cleans and treatment with specialist equipment if necessary.”