Two women with sensitive noses homeless after refusing flat near Lush factory

Two women who refused to move into an apartment near the Lush factory, which makes scented soaps and bath bombs, are left without a place to stay.

Cherie Hitchens, 58, and Joanna Morrison, 63, have a number of disabilities and medical conditions, including sensitivity to chemicals and chemical odors.

Cherie said chemical smells can make her vomit, have a rash, have a racing heart, and have brain fog.

They were diagnosed with the disease by their GP and Ms Morrison was treated by a hospital specialist, reports DorsetLive.

When Dorset Council said the only permanent accommodation it could offer them was a bungalow in Upton, a mile from the Lush soap factory, Cherie and Joanna said they had no choice but to turn down the offer, thereby they would become homeless.

Cherie said: “They evicted us for saying no to a permanent bungalow in Upton.

“We said no to that because it was right next to the road, there were a lot of Lush smells, a lot of people who work for Lush – we’re allergic to fragrances, they make us very sick.

“Also the problem with the bungalow was that they said if we didn’t stay there for five years we would have to pay for all the disabled adaptations.”

Both Cherie and Joanna sometimes have to use wheelchairs, which Joanna suffers from asthma and diabetes. Cherie also suffers from spinal stenosis, Graves’ disease and has recently recovered from cancer.

They had to move out of a community-funded home earlier this year when it was no longer available and were temporarily housed in a hotel.

They were then moved to a temporary house and the apartment near the lunch factory was offered as a permanent home.

(Image: Google Street View)

“We had to assess their opinion and our opinion as to why we couldn’t take the bungalow in Upton. We did. she [the council] said you should have taken it,” Cherie said.

“Of course we looked around Devon, Hampshire, Wiltshire, Cornwall and Dorset to start with. They’re throwing us out of Dorset.

“We can’t go where there are very well-known fragrance product stores and factories – we can’t go near them, and they’re everywhere.

“We looked at three objects from many offers. We wanted three of them, but one landlord said: ‘No, housing benefit’.

“They believe what’s on TV – that we’re all scum and just milking the system. We are not. It’s not our fault that we had these accidents – it’s not our fault that we have to rely on welfare. We’re relying on credit cards now – I’m almost at the end,” she said.

Cherie says they went to court but the council has now halted all forms of aid and evicted them from their temporary home on January 26.

The two friends are now staying in a hotel for as long as they can afford, probably until tomorrow.

Cherie said: “They expect us to surf the sofa, they expect us to have friends and family. But they use scented products! We used to use scented products – we used to have nice incense sticks, you know? couldn’t live there.

“[Joanna’s] suffered enough. She’s almost 64 years old – she didn’t deserve this, we didn’t deserve this. No person with a disability deserves this – the way we are treated.”

Cherie said: “We were looking for a three bedroom detached bungalow, with a wet room, with a garage, no wood stoves, no VOC paint, not newly renovated, no new carpet and not close to roadways, factories or industrial areas. We want that.

“It’s not easy – of course we’re part-time wheelchair users and I’ll be paralyzed in a few years from my spinal cord stenosis.”

Cherie said: “Jo needs to see the specialist, she has another condition and she hasn’t been able to see her for six months. So we can’t leave Dorset until she sees them. So we have to stay until here February 1st.

“There are other districts that offer three, four, five properties. We were only offered one. We didn’t know that! They never said to us, if you don’t accept it, then take to the streets. “

She said her situation left her and Ms Morrison with mental health issues. “I’m obviously depressed. We laugh… but mostly we cry,” she said.

A Dorset Council spokesman said: “Council is unable to go into detail on individual cases.

“However, there is a very clear legal process that the council must follow in order to offer residents a suitable property.

“The consequences of refusing to accept an object deemed suitable are clearly communicated in writing and verbally.

“Decisions can also be reviewed and run through the court system.

“The municipality also has an obligation to make the best possible use of the temporary accommodation for all residents.”

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