'I'm allergic to water. If it rains I can't go to work. I drink milk just to stay hydrated. If I shower I'm in pain for six hours afterwards'

EXTREMELY RARE CONDITION SURFACED JUST 12 WEEKS AGO AND CURRENTLY HAS NO CURE

- By EMILY PHILLIPS

A LANDSCAPER who is allergic to water has had to give up work because rain leaves him in excruciating pain.

James Richardson, 33, breaks out in hives if he touches water and says he is left in pain for six-and-a-half hours if he has a shower.

His condition, known as aquagenic urticaria, began just 12 weeks ago. Worldwide, there are fewer than 100 documented cases of the rare condition, which causes the body to break out in hives if exposed to water.

James, of Nottingham, said: "I can't do anything; if it rains I can't go to work. I drink milk just to stay hydrated - it does have some water in it but my stomach can handle it.

"If I eat something with water in it, my stomach swells like I'm pregnant. The steroids I'm taking have given me asthma, which I didn't have before.

"With mine, it's the most complex and severe case ever known because it's both internal and external. Once I have a shower, which I don't like doing any more, it's six-and-a-half hours of pain afterwards."

James first noticed something was wrong on July 6, when blisters formed around his ankles.