SECURITY guards are entitled to toilet breaks, an employment tribunal has ruled.

Gavin Ruddick, 41, claimed he was expected to work 12-hour shifts without breaks and was victimised when he made a complaint.

The tribunal heard that employees of Reliance Security Ltd were allowed to leave their posts to answer the call of nature, but if anything happened while they were away, they faced the sack.

The hearing in Newcastle ruled in favour of Mr Ruddick, and will decide how much compensation he will receive, later this month.

Andrew Lightburn, an employment solicitor who represented Mr Ruddick, said: "The European Working Times Regulations say that employees are entitled to a 20 minute break every six hours.

"What the tribunal has decided is that the security industry is not above the rules. This is a ground breaking case and it will have sent shockwaves around the security industry."

Mr Ruddick, of Westgate Road, Newcastle, told the tribunal he felt victimised after complaining that he had not had any breaks.

He claimed that after his complaint, he was moved to a different site and was not given over-time.

No one from Reliance Security Services Ltd was available for comment.