A woman has spoken of her struggle after blood-sucking bed bugs forced her to flee her flat in Glasgow.

The council is battling the infestation in Govanhill after the Evening Times revealed householders' misery last year.

One victim said she is now trying to "rebuild her life" after abandoning a rented property and all of her possessions.

The woman, who asked not to be named, was bitten from head to foot by the parasites and sought medical attention.

Doctors told her to flee the flat which she rented from property firm GSL Lettings.

She said: "I was forced to leave my flat in Govanhill with only the clothes I stood up in when it became infested with bed bugs.

"I was accepted as homeless by the Hamish Allan homeless unit and remained in their care for eight months.

"This resulted in being in hostels in Hillhead and then in Govan for two months. Then I was moved to temporary accommodation for the homeless for six months.

"I have had a really traumatic time in the homeless hostels and in recovering from the first infections of bites."

The woman tried to find a job while she was shuttled around hostels in Glasgow and landed a three-month contract with a charity.

She is now unemployed again and is surviving on £72-a-week in benefits but her former landlord is pursuing her for unpaid rent.

She said: "I have been moved to permanent unfurnished accommodation in Pollock and I have only managed to gain one suitcase of clothes and one jacket from my former flat."

Her case has now been taken up by Glasgow Southside MSP and First Minister Nicola Sturgeon.

A spokeswoman for Ms Sturgeon said: "We are looking into this and liaising with the office of Johann Lamont MSP, who represents Glasgow Pollok, where the woman now lives."

GSL Lettings told us: “As an agency we took appropriate action to deal with the infestation of bed bugs. The pest control company were swiftly organised to attend.

"The bed in question belonged to the tenant. We maintain that the tenant was living in conditions which contributed to the infestation.

"The tenant was advised to contact the Private Rented Housing Panel with her complaint. We responded in detail in June 2014 to inquiries by Nicola Sturgeon in relation to this matter and provided her with photographic evidence.”

Glasgow City Council has ordered a "block-by-block" deep clean of flats in Govanhill.

A dedicated team of five specialist bed bug busters are trying rid the area of the insects which feed on human blood.

A council spokesman said: "Work on existing cases is underway, ahead of the block-by-block treatment programme. Good progress is being made."

Night-time parasites

Bed bugs are parasitic insects that feed exclusively on blood.

Cimex lectularius, the common bed bug, is the best known, as it prefers to feed on human blood.

Other Cimex species specialise in feeding off other animals, e.g., the bat bug.

The name “bed bug” derives from the preferred habitat of Cimex lectularius: warm houses and especially nearby or the inside of beds and bedding or other sleep areas.

Bed bugs are mainly active at night, but are not exclusively nocturnal.

They usually feed on their hosts without being noticed.

A number of adverse health effects may result from bed bug bites, including skin rashes, psychological effects and allergic symptoms.