People Suffering Allergic Reactions

Customers of two high street stores have sought legal advice after suffering burns and skin complaints from leather sofas which had been sprayed with a toxic chemical to stop them going mouldy, it has been reported.

At least 1,000 people suffered an allergic reaction to the Chinese-made settees, which retail at Argos and Land of Leather for between £600 and £850, according to the Daily Mail.

The leather had been treated with a fungicide to stop it going mouldy in storage, but the substance triggered violent reactions in some customers, prompting them to seek emergency medical treatment.

The newspaper said that solicitors have been approached by some of these customers, including one who claimed they were hospitalised for a week.

Argos and Land of Leather said the they stopped selling the sofas in October. Not everyone who bought a sofa would suffer a reaction, they added, but the number of those who did was high enough to call it a "widespread" outbreak.

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