A PERSONAL trainer with a fear of items with "hygiene issues" has reportedly won a disability claim after refusing to pick up sweaty towels in a gym.

Ali Burton, who works for a Nuffield Health club in Crawley, refused to pick up used towels when asked to by her bosses.

According to The Sun, she had made supervisors aware that she suffered from an anxiety disorder “triggered as a result of cleanliness and hygiene issues” before starting in May 2019.

However, despite the warning, she was asked to pick up used towels from the gym floor, an employment tribunal heard.

Instead, bosses concluded that the 27-year-old was hostile and difficult to work with.

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Speaking at the tribunal in Croydon, Ms Burton said she was "embarrassed at having to explain and justify my condition."

She claimed that she was challenged on why she couldn't carry out a certain task after she told them she couldn't "physically do it."

A judge ruled that she was the victim of unlawful harassment and should be paid compensation.