Dirty laundry a powerful magnet for bedbugs, study finds

To sleep tight and dodge the bedbug's bite, pack away worn clothes to avoid spreading the insects, which are attracted to human scent, travellers advised

After a long day of sightseeing in a foreign city, you might be tempted to kick off your socks, sling your sweaty T-shirt across your hotel room room and flop down on the bed. Think again.

Dirty laundry acts as a powerful magnet for bedbugs, a study published in the journal Scientific Reports has found. Its authors have warned that a failure to securely pack away clothes while travelling may explain why populations of biting parasites have soared during the past decade.