A 56-year-old NHS radiographer who was told by her employers that she was too old to take on a new job, has won her age discrimination claim.

Linda Sturdy, had been told she was in line for a key position running breast screening services for women in Yorkshire but claimed her application for a senior role at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust in 2007 was rejected and given to a younger, less experienced colleague after she told them she was only a few years off retirement.

When the Trust then offered Mrs Sturdy a much more junior role which she had last performed 15 years earlier, she made a formal complaint.

After hearing the case, the Employment Tribunal ruled that the Trust had acted unlawfully and was guilty of age discrimination. The Trust’s managers had not been able to explain why they had not given Mrs Sturdy the new position even though she was better qualified, more experienced, had shown dedication and reliability and her work had been exemplary.

Mrs Sturdy, now 58, said:

“I’ve been bullied, I’ve been pressured, I’ve been treated terribly. I can’t believe that all these years I’ve worked for them I’ve been dedicated, loyal, conscientious and not put a foot wrong.”

“I’ve been tossed aside without so much as a by-your-leave. They did their utmost to put all sorts of obstacles and barriers in my way in the hope that I would walk away.”

A remedy hearing will take place in Leeds next week when it will be decided how much compensation Mrs Sturdy will receive from the Trust.