Lincoln students living in waterfront accommodation say they are being plagued by an infestation of silverfish after the recent floods.
These inch-long insects have been spotted crawling in bedrooms, kitchens, living areas and even wardrobes at Lincoln Courts, the University accommodation adjacent to Brayford Wharf.
Tom Harding-Hill, 18, who studies History at the University, said he ended up “screaming like a girl as I tried to squish them.”
In one instance, he found two of these insects “scurrying around his bathroom”, commenting that they were “a bit of a menace” as he tried to catch them.
Another student, Jamie Favaretto, 18, studying Forensic Science, said that she found one climbing up the wall next to the intercom, which she hastily had to kill with her slipper, and another crawling across her desk.
Silverfish are small, silver, and wingless insects that make their way into people’s homes for the warmth to lay their eggs.
They are attracted to foods such as unsealed pasta, sugars and cereals, and warm dry places such as behind furniture, raising fears that their numbers could rapidly escalate within the accommodation.
They usually appear because of wet and damp conditions, commonly caused by water damage. While silverfish are not harmful to humans, they can cause damage to clothes, books, carpets, and wallpaper.
However, after the flooding caused by Storm Babet last month, which resulted in the Fossdyke canal overflowing, the University accommodation has been subject to such conditions.
Lincoln Courts is situated in the University of Lincoln’s Brayford Student Village and is managed by the University itself. The complex is made up of 17 buildings of self-catered apartments with five to eight students in each.