Urgent warning for Brits going to Paris Olympics as bed bugs, train crooks & gangs of drink-spiking robbers run rampant
FANS travelling to the Olympics have been warned about biting bed bugs, train crooks and gangs of drink-spiking robbers.
Foreign Office bosses have also reminded visitors to Paris about super-strength drinks like Absinthe and more potent wine and beer from bars and restaurants.
The French capital is still in the grip of a bed bug crisis.
The British Pest Control Association (BPCA) said: “The ideal temperature for an adult bed bug to thrive is between 21-32°C, so it’s best to keep your room cool at night-time with aircon.”
Martin Seeley, boss of MattressNextDay, added: “When people arrive in their hotel room, many place their suitcase straight onto the bed and start unpacking their clothes.
“However, we would suggest keeping your suitcase off your bed as this is where bed bugs are most commonly found.”
Instead, unpack using the luggage rack provided by certain hotels, or keep the suitcase close to the door.
Remember to keep your dirty items of clothing separate – “research shows that bed bugs are more attracted to dirty clothes than to clean clothes.
“So, make sure to take a spare bag for your dirty clothing, and knot it each time you add to it,” says Martin.
The UK’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office is telling Team GB supporters to be careful on trains to and from the city’s airports and stations and ones servicing the main stadium for the games.
Civil servants reveal: “There have been several cases of serious assault on the RER (train) line B, which serves: Paris Charles de Gaulle airport, Orly airports, Paris Gare du Nord, Eurostar terminus.
“There have also been serious assaults on RER line D, which serves the Stade de France.”
And the government department said of alcohol in Paris: “Drinks served in bars abroad are often stronger than those in the UK.
“Be careful about taking drinks from strangers or leaving your drinks unattended.
“Victims of spiked drinks have been robbed and sometimes assaulted.”
France this week rejected 3,500 Olympics jobseekers over security risks and terrorism threats.
The country is on high alert as Paris prepares to open the River Seine on July 26 with a 45,000-strong security force.
Some 130 of the denied applicants were also on the government’s “Fiche S,” a watchlist for terrorist suspects and threats to national security.
Dozens of people with ties to radical Islamists, or the ultra-Left and ultra-Right, were also turned down, said Gérald Darmanin, France’s interior minister.
He added the government conducted hundreds of thousands of investigations to screen applicants who posed a risk to the games and to national security, The Telegraph reports.
Mr Darmanin said: “770,000 administrative investigations have been carried out to date, resulting in the exclusion of 3,570 people.”
During the games, a strong security force of 30,000–45,000 police and gendarmes will be deployed around the capital.
Unlike other Olympic tournaments, several of the competitions will take place in close proximity to iconic sites in the city centre, as opposed to stadiums outside the city, which pose significant security problems.
Extra caution will also be exercised during the opening ceremony on July 26, which will take place on the River Seine for the first time in modern Olympic history.
France has been on high alert since March, when the Islamic State claimed responsibility for a terrorist attack that killed 145 people in a Russian concert hall.
In June, ISIS threatened chilling attacks on the upcoming Olympics in an appalling poster message.
The death cult posted a propaganda image showing one of its terrorists seemingly flying an “armed drone” to attack the iconic Eiffel Tower.
The poster, pushed by ISIS-linked social media channels, was captioned: “Lone wolves’ Olympics have begun with the Will of Allah.”
The chilling threat vaguely indicates there could be attempts to carry out lone-wolf-style terror attacks across Paris amid the upcoming games.
The Paris Olympics chief since promised a ring of steel at the opening ceremony amid fears it may have to be moved due to terror threats.
French intelligence agents have also foiled terror plots targeting the Paris Olympics earlier this month.
They have been linked to an Afghanistan-based off-shoot of IS.
The Games are due to open on July 26 and millions of visitors, including many from Britain, are expected to flood into the French capital.
Mr Darmanin said at the time that “several arrests” had been made in connection with at least two separate cases.
He added: “They are being handed over to the justice authorities.”
An investigating source said the plot was foiled by the General Directorate of Internal Security, saying it was working “night and day to ensure the safety of Olympics spectators”.
The source added those arrested are believed to be connected to Afghan organisation Khorasan, which has ties to IS.
The Islamic extremist group was blamed for the suicide bomb attack on the Stade de France, focal point of this year’s Olympics, in November 2015.
