Mother of two, 39, who applied for a labouring job with 'man with a van' firm is rejected and told 'women don't do this kind of work for us' (3 Pics)

Teresa Everett (pictured), 39 and from Southampton, was left 'disgusted' after she was rejected for a job at a rubbish removal company within 20 minutes of submitting her application. She was told the company 'would not allow females to do that kind of work'

WHEN a mum-of-two was denied a job as a 'Waste Removal Operative Driver & Labourer', she was shocked to find out the reason why.

Teresa Everett, 39, applied for the £9 an hour role with Clearbee, the UK's largest in-house rubbish removal company, and received a reply from the recruitment team 20 minutes later saying she was unsuccessful.

She asked why, and was told in an email "this role requires heavy lifting and physical work, we would not allow female to do those kind of work".

The outraged single mum from Southampton said: "It's absolutely disgusting.

"How can a company in 21st century Britain refuse a job based a woman's gender - especially as I match all of the job requirements.

"This has crossed the line over what is acceptable when employing someone."

Clearabee (pictured is the man and van service advertised on their website) has since apologised for the rejection of Ms Everett's application. A spokesman said the person involved worked for a separate recruitment provider the company no longer uses

The advert, which was posted on job search site Indeed in late September, was looking for "hardworking and enthusiastic individuals".

It said the recruits would be part of the "truck teams" who collect waste from homes and businesses "as part of our 'man and van' style clearance service".

It added: "Many of our jobs do require manual labour and loading, so you must enjoy some physical work and tackling challenging jobs."

Security worker Teresa, who works nights, applied for the job on September 27, because she's looking to work during the daytime and find a van drive style job.

She submitted her CV and covering letter and got a reply thanking her, but saying she had been "unsuccessful on this occasion".

She asked why and was told "unfortunately at the moment we are only looking for male drivers/laborers for Waste Removal Operative".

Ms Everett had applied for a role with Clearabee (pictured is a lorry used by the firm) but was told by a recruitment firm she would not be suitable. A spokesman for Clearabee has since said the rejection was 'completely at odds with [their] beliefs and employment policies'

The Equality Act 2010 prohibits any discrimination because of sex when it comes to hiring employees.

Teresa has branded the discrimination a "scandal" and said it "undermines the physical ability of a woman to undertake heavy lifting roles".

Royston Smith, MP for Southampton Itchen has condemned the discrimination.

He said: "The law is very clear on the issue of equal opportunities.

"A person cannot be discriminated against based on their gender.

"Each person who applies simply must be treated fairly and a business cannot decide who can or can't be employed because of their gender."

A spokesman for Clearabee apologised and said the person involved worked for a separate recruitment provider the company no longer uses.

He added: "Their actions were completely at odds with our beliefs and employment policies.

"We employ several female Waste Removal Operatives across the UK as part of our growing team and welcome the benefits that this diversity brings.

"We immediately launched a thorough investigation into this issue when we were notified of it.

"This is the only instance of its kind that we are aware of and we have taken steps to ensure it does not happen again."