Viewers of ITV’s daytime show This Morning were not impressed with presenter Alice Beer when she interviewed a couple who live in a mud hut that they built themselves.
Kate Burrows and her partner Alan were forced to leave their 21st century home because she was allergic to electricity, wi-fi and wall paint which gave her flu-like symptoms.
The couple revealed they built their new home after they “couldn’t afford to live in a normal rented property and pay the bills”.
Their hut has an outside compost toilet, kitchen, living area and two bedrooms.
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The 51-year-old presenter was not too impressed when the couple revealed they only have a bath once a week and cook food on a caravan stove.
Alice then went on to ask about the home’s toilet facilities to which the couple replied: “We have a compost loo.
“It’s a wooden box, we do our business and chuck in sawdust, then nature takes care of it.”
The presenter turned her nose up after the couple revealed they prefer the scent of “naturalness” in their home.
Kate admitted: “We prefer the scent of naturalness rather than stuff that covers it up.”
But Alice was left stunned as they then revealed they like to watch Netflix from their four-poster bed that Alan built himself!
The shocked presenter said: “Oh hang on, you can’t run away from nature and still have Netflix!”
During her interview viewers, who labelled the couple “the real life Dingles”, were not happy and accused Alice of being “condescending”.
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One angry viewer wrote: “Alice Beer is so patronising. They’re obviously quite happy and dont need you turning your nose up at them #thismorning.”
Another added: “#Thismorning Could Alice beer be any more insulting to this couple, just because she can afford a home doesn’t mean everyone else can.”
One even requested an apology from Alice herself: “Ok #Thismorning how about an apology from Alice beer for the way she patronised the mud hut couple.”
Despite the couple being happy and content in their Hobbit-style home, North Devon Council have said they have broken planning laws.
This has resulted in the pair being given until December to move out of their home in Tarka Valley.
An unhappy Kate said: “This is our nest, this is our everything, this is our art.
“We have sculpted it with our hands from the soil.
“I can’t go back to being ill like that, it fills me with absolute horror.”
Kate said her old environment was toxic and her new home is much more suitable.
She said: “I think it was the water, the electricity, the wi-fi and the paint on the walls; my body just couldn’t handle it.
“I didn’t realise how ill I was until we moved here and I started to recover.”
Kate is now campaigning for there to be new planning laws in England and Wales which will allow self-sustaining homes like theirs to be built.