A husband and wife who worked for a royal glove-maker for more than 40 years have lost a claim for compensation after they walked out of their jobs.

Reg and Rose Wareham told an employment tribunal they were forced to resign after Mr Wareham had a row with his boss at Cornelia James, the Brighton-based fashion design company that makes gloves for the Queen.

The couple, who live in Hangleton Valley Drive, Hove, claimed they were constructively dismissed in November last year from the firm, which was granted a royal warrant in 1979.

The Brighton tribunal ruled the couple, who met and married at work, had not been unfairly treated.

Mr Wareham, 63, who started working for the company in Havelock Road in 1959, told the tribunal he walked out after telling his boss Andrew Lawson, the son-in-law of the company founder Cornelia James, he could "stuff his job".

He described the job as "hell" and said he resigned less than two years before he was due to retire.

Mr Wareham, who started work as a glove-cutter and rose to factory manager, said he was happy at work for many years but trouble started when Mr Lawson, who is married to Mrs James's daughter Genevieve, became managing director ten years ago.

Mr Lawson had made changes undermining his position, changing his role and reducing his responsibilities.

The day he walked out he had argued with Mr Lawson over samples. He claimed his shouted at him: "What is your bloody problem?"

Mr Wareham told the hearing: "I decided to leave because of the sheer frustration. I thought that's it, I'm going to have a heart attack if I stay here."

His wife, Rose, 61, who joined the firm in 1956, said she returned to work for one day after her husband left but was ignored by Mr Lawson and felt so uncomfortable she could not carry on.

Mr Lawson denied wanting Mr Wareham to leave.

He said he had been forced to make changes because the firm had lost £500,000 in four years and the staff had to be cut from 40 to nine to keep the business going.

He said: "Had changes not been made, I have little doubt the company would have closed in 1992."