A grandfather has claimed he's developed a bizarre allergy to electricity and is now forced to watch the cricket with a t-shirt over his face.
Dan Reddington, 75, said he developed electrosensitivity six months ago – and now he can't watch TV, use the computer or even put the central heating on without coming out in red rash similar to sunburn.
The granddad-of-four even avoids electrical shops to keep his symptoms at bay, which he claims flare up any time he gets too close to electrical items.
Doctors have been left baffled by the condition, which isn't properly recognised by medics – so Reddington has resorted to finding his own cures, including wearing a t-shirt with eye holes cut out, a welder's mask or a facemask lined with foil when he switches on the box.
Reddington, a retired vinyl expert from Broadway, Worcs, said: "It's only developed in the last six months.
"Apparently all this electrosensitivity just builds up in the body – and all of a sudden it's come to a head.
"My face just starts burning up really badly, within 10 minutes of watching TV or being at a computer.
"It goes bright red like a sunburn – it makes my whole body feel hot.
"It's not painful as such, but it's really annoying and leaves me sweating – my face has a permanently pink tinge now.
"I've tried all sorts of creams to keep it at bay, but nothing worked.
"I love watching sports and spend a lot of time on the computer, so I've resorted to wearing a t-shirt with eye holes cut out to try and prevent it.
"It does help a bit, but ultimately nothing stops it - it's ruining my life."
Reddington thinks the peculiar reaction is down to over-exposure to technology – and the problem will only get worse for future generations.
He said: "Kids these days are always on their phones, or sat in front of computers.
"For a lot of my career I spent six to eight hours a day on the computer, as part of my business was mail orders.
"All that has built up over the years and is coming out now as this rash.
"As kids rely on technology more and more, from a younger age, the problem will get worse.
"But electrosensitivity is not recognised as an illness in the UK."
Without any hope of a cure, Reddington now does his best to keep his symptoms under control by trying to limit his exposure to electricity.
He said: "I have good days and bad days. I love watching the sports on telly, so I don't let it put me off.
"I just have to take precautions, like wearing a mask, sitting further back from the TV or taking a break to splash some cold water on my face.
"I also get my wife, Beryl, to help me out on the computer – although it can cause some disagreements between us! It's a bit of a pain for her.
"I've had to change my lifestyle completely to try and cope with it.
"But there's no cure, so I'm just stuck with it now really and need to make the best of it."
Reddington is not the first person to claim to be sensitive to electricity. The charity ElectroSensitivity UK aims to provide a support service to people who fear they may be living with the condition.
But not everyone is convinced electrosensitivity is a genuine syndrome.
Previously speaking to The Guardian, Dr James Rubin of King's College Institute of Psychiatry said: "With most conditions, patients don't necessarily know what's going on. But with electrosensitivity there's an absolute certainty about the cause. Self-diagnosis is at the core of it."
He added that he prefers the the term "idiopathic environmental intolerances", or IEI, which covers conditions with no obvious cause.
He said: "The problem is, if you look for a coherent set of symptoms, you are not going to find it.
"You even find that people's symptoms change over time. Many have other intolerances in addition to the electrical sensitivity."
