Mr John Gordon (46) spent months visiting his baffled GP and dermatologists with a mystery skin condition, unaware that he was probably adding to his pain every time he came home and sat on his couch.

He only realised that his condition appeared to have been caused by a sofa he bought from an Argos store in the Eastgate Centre in Inverness when a relative pointed out that his rash was similar to that suffered by an English woman whose own story had appeared in a national newspaper.

Now he and hundreds of other victims are suing the Home Retail Group, which owns retail giants Argos.

Mr Gordon, of Craigie Avenue, said: "It started as a wee scab, and over the next day or two it took the skin clean off my back.

"I went to the doctors, and they were not sure what was causing it, and one of the nurses said it reminded her of severe sunburn – she even asked me where I had been. I think she thought I'd been on holiday.

"After that I was sent to Inverness, and they were as confused as my GP in Grantown. I only discovered what was happening to me when my nephew, James, pointed out an article in the paper."

Mr Gordon purchased the settee from Argos' Inverness store in February last year. It was removed by the retailer from their catalogue at the start of October.

During that time he had lotions, creams and pills to keep his condition under control, and made frequent trips to his GP and specialists in Inverness.

He said: "I had severe itching all the time. I was sleeping for a couple of hours every night, and any loose skin was catching on material and weeping onto my clothes or bed sheets. I have had to chuck out loads of tee-shirts and bed linen because of it.

"Because of the rash, I was signed off work for a couple of weeks, and I have also spent a couple of thousand pounds on new linen, clothes, prescriptions and trips to Inverness."

Mr Gordon, who works as a kitchen assistant at the Boat Hotel, is among at least 1,000 people who claim they suffered an agonising allergic reaction from sitting on the top-selling leather settees.

The Chinese-manufactured sofas, the majority of which were bought from Argos, Land of Leather and Walmsleys, are alleged to contain a chemical which was causing extreme allergic reactions in some people, including rashes and blistering that resulted in hospitalisation for some.

Mr Gordon fears there could be many more throughout the Highlands who have not linked their condition to the furniture.

He said: "When I contacted the company and gave them the batch number, they said it was not down on the recalled lists, but once I explained my condition, they came and replaced it.

"There must be other people who have bought a sofa like mine and have been affected by this without realising why.

Mr Gordon's back, covered by a rash and blisters.

"With the number of new houses going up and new families moving into them needing furniture, there are bound to be others who have suffered like I have."

An Argos spokeswoman said that the issue first came to their attention last summer, and they withdrew the potentially affected items from sale voluntarily.

She said: "Argos would like to apologise to any customers who may have been affected by skin irritations linked to certain sofas manufactured by Linkwise in China.

"Customers were offered a refund or an appropriate alternative product.

"We have been conducting a detailed investigation into this issue since we were first made aware of it. We have now been informed by the expert consultant dermatologist, whom we appointed to advise us on this issue, that the likely cause was sachets found within the sofas containing an anti-mould agent called Dimethyl Fumarate.

"This is a chemical with preservative qualities that diminishes over time. Chances of re-exposure should be minimal, and therefore people should not experience any further problems.

"We have continued to keep all appropriate authorities informed, and our expert will be sharing his findings with the medical community.

"All claims on this issue are being handled by our insurers.

"We would like to make it clear that no sofas produced by the Linkwise factory are now sold in our business."

One law firm acting on behalf of those affected described it as the "UK's biggest consumer redress action", and confirmed it was handling 530 claims already – around 40 of them in Scotland.

Christian Shotton, of Russell Jones and Walker, said: "Scientific examination of the contents of sofas made by the Chinese Linkwise furniture company has revealed the presence of fungicide in the sofas.

"Many GPs, even dermatologists, still don't realise the connection, and people are suffering unnecessarily."

Anyone suffering similar symptoms should consult their local GP or contact Argos on 0845 6402020.

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