Daybreak sofas infested with fleas

The 'Daybreak' sofas have become infested with fleas.

The two purple settees in the green room of the troubled ITV1 breakfast show - hosted by Adrian Chiles and Christine Bleakley - are teeming with the blood-sucking insects and bosses have now launched an investigation after members of the crew complained about being bitten.

It is believed some of the animals who have featured on the series are to blame for the itchy problem.

A source said: "No one can say for certain where the fleas have originated from. There have been a lot of animal features over the last few months. It's not just famous people who have been perched on the sofas - there have been pets too.

"After their first pet story went down so well, they have begun to feature them more regularly in a bid to boost ratings. There is now a dog or other pet on the show at least once a week, and everyone is convinced that's where the fleas have come from."

Experts have now been brought in to try and rid the studio of the bugs, which can multiply up to 800 million times in just five days.

Since its high-profile launch in September, 'Daybreak' - which replaced the popular 'GMTV' - has been plagued by problems including low viewing figures.