Staff at The Guardian’s headquarters in King’s Cross, central London, have been provided with devices to monitor for bedbugs at home amid an ongoing infestation at the newspaper’s office. The outbreak, first reported publicly last month, has prompted calls from unions expressing concern that workers are being unfairly blamed for introducing the pests into the workplace.

Following the discovery of bedbugs at the King’s Cross newsroom, the newspaper engaged pest control specialists to address the issue. Employees were offered the option to work remotely if they felt uncomfortable returning to the office. Some staff members have reportedly refused to come back until the infestation is fully resolved, while others who resumed working on-site took precautions such as sitting on plastic bags to avoid being bitten.

According to a communication circulated among The Guardian’s journalism staff via the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) chapel, the company has encouraged employees to use bedbug detection tools in their homes. However, the union expressed unease about suggestions within management and consulting teams that staff might be responsible for bringing the insects into the building. One internal message reportedly stated that chairs from the most affected office areas had been “slashed open,” revealing a small number of bedbugs—less than ten, all deceased—and that traps placed around the offices targeted likely hiding spots such as chairs, soft furnishings, and desk undersides.

Union representatives challenged the framing of staff as a potential source of re-infestation, citing photographic evidence of bedbugs in various developmental stages discovered within the office over the course of the year despite prior treatments. They noted that the presence of immature bedbugs suggested some had hatched on site. The union urged for clearer explanations and warned that any implication of employees bringing “pocketfuls of bedbugs” could discourage reporting of new outbreaks.

Bedbugs are known to inhabit furniture and bedding, feeding on human blood and causing itchy bites. They can spread rapidly by clinging to clothing or personal belongings. Reports of insect bites among Guardian staff reportedly began circulating as early as January this year.

Both The Guardian and the NUJ were contacted for comment on the situation.