A couple say they are at "breaking point" after living with bedbugs for years and claim their housing association has put it down to them being "dirty people".

Sally and Fred Matthews have been dealing with the insects at their mhs homes flat in Birling Avenue, Rainham, since before the pandemic.

And despite shelling out to briefly get rid of the critters they have now come back.

The couple believes their unwelcome return is due to ceiling work carried out in the home on behalf of Medway's largest landlord.

Sally, who is dependent on a wheelchair, said: "In January 2020 I got bedbugs. The housing association said it was my fault, so I paid with my benefits to get pest control to deal with the situation.

"But they were still there, so I then paid another £600 to get rid of them through pest control again.

"The bloke did a really good job and so I thought that was the end of it."

The 46-year-old's partner later moved into the property and the couple faced no further issues with the infestation.

MHS Homes says it has responded promptly and ordered treatment works each time it has been notified and continues to work with Sally to "resolve the issue".

However, Sally claims it was only after mhs homes began taking parts of their ceiling down for safety maintenance that the critters returned once again.

She added: "We've been told by an independent pest controller that bed bugs come from up to down.

"So in my eyes when mhs homes took the ceiling off and left it exposed over one weekend the bedbugs came back.

"But the housing association seem to be saying that it's down to my lifestyle that the bed bugs come back, that it is because we're dirty people."

According to the company Action Pest Control, it is a common "misconception" that a bedbug infestation is caused by filth.

A statement on the company's website says: "These bugs are not drawn to decay.

"They are blood-eating insects and live in any environment, as long as they have access to their food source.

"Bed bugs dwell almost exclusively with humans, and they can be found all over the world.

"Bed bugs are hitchhiking bugs.

"They can be found on buses, trains, planes, cruise liners, and taxi cabs.

"In office buildings, universities, nursing homes, schools, libraries and other people's houses."

Sally suffers from fibromyalgia (chronic widespread pain), nerve damage, stress incontinence and PTSD with a personality disorder.

She said: "I have a very bad shoulder, a hernia and to top it off the bedbugs aren't just causing stress but also breathing problems.

"When it got particularly bad in December pest control said they were going to come to us on January 9.

"However it got to the point where the bedbugs were actually getting inside my incontinent pads.

"So they came on January 5 to do it. It hasn't made a difference."

Sally and Fred have had numerous calls with mhs homes.

The couple also claims that Fred, who is Sally's full-time carer, started to get asthma because of the bedbugs.

Sally says she has spent £900 on pest control and another £120 on a second-hand leather sofa in hopes of stopping the bugs.

But despite all this, she still feels she is fighting an unbeatable battle.

She said: "We are at breaking point and my argument is where are they coming from?

"The only thing I can think of is when mhs homes took the roof off.

"We don't know where they are coming from but we find them on our clothes, in our cupboards and on our furniture.

"We're washing our clothes and home constantly, every single day. I've got hardly any money left and I don't know what to do."

She has asked mhs homes whether she can be moved but says this request was refused.

"I said to them to get me out of here," she added. "But they said they can't because of my complex needs which means I need a wheelchair."

Sally says that she is the only one in the flats facing the problem.

"We’re doing all we can and will continue to work with Ms Matthews to resolve the issue."

When approached, mhs homes did not comment on whether work on Sally's ceiling could have caused or contributed to ongoing issues.

Gemma Hancock, executive director of assets and development at the social landlord, said: "We've been working with Ms Matthews since she first reported bed bugs to us in January 2020.

"We treated her property shortly after that initial report, with no further reports of bed bugs after that.

"Since Ms Matthew has reported them to us again, we’ve carried out two more treatments and have a specialist contractor visiting on January 24 to investigate further.

"We’re doing all we can and will continue to work with Ms Matthews to resolve the issue."