Two women with sensitive noses have been left homeless after refusing a flat near a factory belonging with Lush.
Lush, renowned for its bath bombs, soap bars and cosmetic items, has stores across the country – including in Birmingham.
Cherie Hitchens, 58, and Joanna Morrison, 63, said chemical smells can make them vomit, have rashes, racing heart rates and brain fog.
READ MOREBlocked nose could be silent killer which 260 people fight every year
DorsetLive reports Cherie said: “They evicted us because we said no to one permanent bungalow in Upton.
“We said no to that because it was right next to the carriageway, there were lots of Lush smells, lots of people working for Lush – we are allergic to scented products, they make us very ill.
“Also the problem with the bungalow was they said if we didn’t stay there for five years, we would have to pay for all the disabled adaptations.”
“We had to do an assessment, of their opinion and our opinion of why we couldn’t take the bungalow in Upton. We did that. They [the council] said you should have taken it,” said Cherie.
“We looked in Devon, Hampshire, Wiltshire, Cornwall, and Dorset obviously, to start off with. They’re throwing us out of Dorset.
“We can’t go to places that have a very well-known scented product shops and factories – we can’t go near them, and they are all over the place.
“We did look at three properties out of a lot that I saw. Three of them we wanted, but one landlord said: ‘no, housing benefit’.
“They believe what’s on the TV – that we’re all scum and we’re just milking the system. We are not. It’s not our fault we had these accidents – it’s not our fault we have to rely on benefits. We’re relying on credit cards now – I’m almost maxed out,” she said.
Cherie said: “They’re expecting us to have sofa-surf, they’re expecting us to have friends and family. But they use scented products! We used to use scented products – we used to have lovely incense sticks, you know? We couldn’t live there.
“[Joanna’s] suffered enough. She’s nearly 64 years old – she doesn’t deserve this, we don’t deserve this. No disabled person deserves this – the way we are being treated.”
You can sign up for all the latest TV and Showbiz content here
Cherie said: “We’ve looked for a three bedroom, detached bungalow, with a wet room, with a garage, no wood burners, no VOC paint, not newly refurbished, no new carpets and not near carriageways, factories or industrial estates. That’s what we want.
“It’s not easy – of course, we’re part time wheelchair users, and I’m going to be paralyzed in a few years because of my narrowing of the spinal cord.”
A spokesman for Dorset Council said: “The council is unable to go into detail on individual cases.
“However, there is a very clear legal procedure the council has to follow in offering residents a suitable property.
“The consequences of refusing to accept a property, which is deemed suitable, are clearly communicated in writing and verbally.
“Decisions can also be reviewed and go through the court system.
“The council also has an obligation to use temporary accommodation in the best way possible for all residents.”
Stay up to date with the very latest news from your Birmingham or West Midlands street or neighborhood with our daily Birmingham News Email Updates.