The alarm bells were sounding loud and clear as Bath got a Premiership wake-up call from another away-day disaster at Loftus Road.

Coach Jon Callard had warned last week that his side would run out of excuses with the return of their most famous names and there could be no explanation for this shoddy effort that condemned them to a return to the league bottom two.

It needed two late penalties from Scottish international Kenny Logan to confirm Wasps' 23-10 triumph but the London side should have had the contest sewn up long before.

And a more sobering thought for Callard and his staff will be the differing approaches of the two teams to this crucial clash.

Struggling Wasps got to grips with the need to scrap and battle for every point, tactics that resulted into an error-strewn but engaging contestthat the noisy crowd lapped up.

The same could not be said of their West Country visitors. There were disturbing echoes of the thrashing by Bristol last month as too many of Bath's brightest talents under-performed at a vital moment.

Add that to an inability to hang onto the ball and being outmuscled up front and they were left with nowhere to go.

The omens were bad from the start as Wasps' suffocating defence threw up the opening penalty chance after 10 minutes when Iain Balshaw was thumped to the ground by Kenny Logan. However, the hosts' Alex King to floated a place kick wide after Bath had been penalised for killing possession.

Matt Perry also had a chance to open the scoring with a long-range effort, but as at the Memorial Stadium two weeks ago, it barely left the ground.

Four minutes later came the moment that effectively cost Bath the match.

Wasps' outstanding full-back Josh Lewsey broke through the line but as substitute wing Martin Offiah prepared to take the pass, he was tugged to the ground by flanker Gavin Thomas.

Referee David McHugh brandished the yellow card and could have awarded a penalty try. He didn't have to wait long.

King kicked to the corner, Wasps drove from the lineout and as Bath dragged the maul to the floor three yards out, McHugh blew up and ran between the posts, King converting the gift.

Making the most of their man advantage, the Londoners scored a brilliant long-range second three minutes later.

Veteran All Black Ian Jones nicked a Bath lineout on his own 22 and second row partner Simon Shaw blazed up the middle. Lewsey continued the move and although Logan appeared to have taken the wrong option by cutting inside, he offloaded to Joe Worsley, who crashed over.

King converted again to give his side a healthy advantage which was reduced slightly, at the third time of asking, by a Perry penalty five minutes before half-time. The respite was brief though, King landing a kick of his own as the desperate defence transgressed again.

Bath regrouped after the interval and dominated the early stages, Mike Tindall being felled by a stunning Lewsey tackle with the line gaping, then Tom Voyce being bundled into touch.

Finally, they did breach the line thanks to a helping hand from home hooker Phil Greening, who horribly misjudged a throw-in near his own line. Thomas gratefully accepted the invitation to pile over the line for a try from which Perry cut the gap to just seven.

That was as good as it got. King and Logan, twice, missed efforts to put the match beyond Bath's reach as Wasps piled on the pressure.

Logan eventually landed one monster penalty from near halfway with six minutes remaining to leave Bath out of reach of a bonus point.

They never looked like retrieving one, their afternoon summed up as Mike Catt found himself in possession but alone in good field position before dejectedly hoisted a garryowen that even he couldn't be bothered to chase.

In a messy finish, Logan stroked over a further effort right on McHugh's final whistle.

Bath couldn't wait to flee the scene of the crime.

Teams: Bath: Perry, Balshaw, Maggs, Tindall (Barkley 39-40), Voyce, Catt (capt), Cooper, Barnes, Regan (Long 70), Mallett, Borthwick, Grewcock, G Thomas, Scaysbrook, Gabey (Beattie 59). Subs: Williams, Emms, Danielli, El Abd.

London Wasps: Lewsey, Roiser (Offiah 7, Abbott 47), Waters, Denney (capt), Logan, King, Wood, Dowd, Greening (Leota 65), Green, Shaw, Jones, Jenkins, Worsley, Lock. Subs: Friday, Allan, Beardshaw, McKenzie.

Referee: David McHugh

Attendance: 6,240