'We're at PEAK bed bug': Are insects coming on holiday with YOU? Bloodsucking pests are spreading through travel hotspots as expert issues warning

Forget airport queues and travel strikes – there's another holiday nightmare hitching a ride, and it could be waiting for you on your next flight.

Bed bugs are turning up on trains and planes, with one expert warning: 'We're at peak bed bug.'

Martim Gois, co-founder and CEO of bed bug safety certification company Valpas, exclusively told the Daily Mail: 'There are more of them circulating in travel than ever before.'

Last month, the bloodsucking pests forced multiple Southeastern trains out of service after being discovered on staff bags and inside train drivers' cabs.

The situation was so alarming that one driver allegedly refused to move a train across the depot without a white full-body protection suit, according to The Telegraph.

Now, the problem appears to have taken to the skies, after passengers on a Qantas flight from Perth to Rome reported being bitten by bugs mid-flight earlier this month.

The airline was then forced to cancel the return flight the following day and the Boeing 787 Dreamliner was taken out of service for a deep clean and fumigation.

According to Qantas, affected passengers were provided with accommodation and rebooked on alternative flights within 48 hours of their original departure.

But why are we suddenly seeing bed bugs crop up on trains and planes? 

'Bed bugs move with travellers. The more arrivals and departures there are, the more bed bugs travel with them,' Mr Gois explained. 

'What people get wrong is treating each case as a local hygiene problem. It has nothing to do with how clean a plane, train or hotel is. It's a travel problem, and it grows with travel.' 

Most people assume bed bugs typically live in hotel rooms where many travellers can check in and out in a short amount of time. 

The bed bug expert reveals how the insects can make their way onto aircraft via luggage. 

'On planes and trains they're passing through, looking for a bed to settle in,' he said. 

'On a long-haul flight, where passengers sit still for hours in the dark, a hungry one can come out to feed. But they won't stay on a plane the way they settle in a bed.'

Mr Gois revealed European capitals popular with British travellers are seeing a 20 to 25 per cent increase in bed bug incidents in hotels every year.

'The reason is where they live: bed bugs don't live on planes, they are around beds,' he added.

'Hotel and holiday-rental beds change guests every night, so that's where bed bugs settle and where they set off from to homes, trains and planes.'

After the Qantas incident, a spokesman for the airline said: 'We sincerely apologise to customers for the cancellation of Saturday's Rome to Perth service, which allowed our engineers and maintenance teams to carry out a deep clean of the aircraft after an issue was identified on a small number of economy seats.'

Meanwhile Oly Turner, Head of Drivers for Southeastern, said at the time: 'We have a great relationship with our drivers, who have helped hugely in cooperating with us over these isolated incidents. 

'When we receive reports such as these we check trains thoroughly before they are put back into service when given the all-clear. Cases have been contained to the drivers' cabs in only two of our trains and no bed bugs have been identified in areas for passengers. 

'We continually carry out robust cleaning across our trains and stations, ensuring our customers and employees can travel safely and with confidence.'