Scotland’s first minister has revealed she has been in regular contact with council officials about a bedbug infestation in one of the schools in her constituency.

Nicola Sturgeon told MSPs this afternoon that there was “intense work” underway to address the four-year problem at St Bride’s Primary in Strathbungo in her Glasgow Southside seat.

The issue was raised at First Minister’s Questions this afternoon following reports in the media that the school had been forced to install washing machines to boil pupils’ clothes in order to kill the parasites.

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Glasgow City Council has reportedly spent thousands of pounds trying to decontaminate the school, but to no avail. At least one staff member at the primary school has been compensated after the blood-sucking insects infested furniture in their home.

The school’s catchment areas includes Govanhill, one of the poorest areas in Glasgow.

At First Minister’s Questions, Scottish Conservative MSP Annie Wells told Ms Sturgeon: “A school has been forced to take desperate action to eliminate a four-year bedbug infestation ordeal.

“Kids are getting rashes; pest-control teams are visiting every few months; and staff have had to destroy their home furniture. First minister, what century is this?”

Ms Sturgeon replied: “This is an issue in different parts of Glasgow.

“From my constituency interest in the case that Annie Wells cites, I know the intensive work that is being done by the council.

“I speak to council officials regularly on these matters and about the other issues that are raised in this area of my constituency and I know that intensive work is going on.

“All of us have to encourage those involved in this to follow all the guidelines so that the work that is being done has the best chance of succeeding.”