A nightporter who did not feel safe when working alone at a Colchester hotel has lost his claim for unfair dismissal.

Martin Taylor, of Queens Road, Colchester, told an employment tribunal in Bury St Edmunds on Friday he had been forced to quit his job at the George Hotel because he felt unsafe alone there at night.

He claimed the hotel in High Street had been in breach of their contract by failing to provide a proper safe environment for him to work in despite several complaints.

He said the hotel, owned by Michael Slagle, had not given him days off for seven bank holidays worked or paid him for holiday he had not taken.

The tribunal heard Mr Taylor, 55, worked from 10pm to 8am four nights a week from March 1998, but he handed his resignation in 15 months later saying he had decided to cut his losses.

He told the tribunal he could not work in "threatening conditions."

He said on three occasions he had been involved in violent situations and in August 1998 he was assaulted by two men he let in after they claimed to be guests.

"I complained to my duty managers all the time about the lack of safety but nothing was done," he said. "I did not want to go behind my duty manager's back because that would have made the situation even worse," he added.

But line manager Neil Cook said Mr Taylor was known as a "whinger" who moaned a lot but never used the right channels to complain properly.

Counsel for Mr Slagle, Hugh Preston, said on the two occasions Mr Martin's complaints did get back to him things were done.

Dismissing his claim Chairman of the Tribunal Charles Twiss told Mr Martin he found it strange he had not written down any of his fears and had not told anybody.

"The applicant found himself able to talk to Mr Slagle about a number of things including the injury to his thumb but he did not mention any fears about his own safety.

He ordered the hotel to pay Mr Taylor for three bank holidays and £200 he was owed for holidays.

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