A woman claims she was forced to resign from her job because a colleague's leering "made her skin crawl".

Office worker Jacqueline Marks told an employment tribunal that colleague Barry Evans looked at her breasts constantly.

She said it made her feel vulnerable and intimidated, and she stopped wearing make-up and started wearing loose clothing to work.

She was also upset when he referred to the "intimate" way she ate Hula Hoops.

Ms Marks, of Marine Parade, Worthing, is claiming sex discrimination against Boustead International Heaters, Southwick.

The company denies she was sexually harassed.

It claims she was struggling to cope with personal problems which made her hypersensitive during the two months she worked for the firm last year as a procurement assistant.

Ms Marks told the Brighton hearing she was made to feel distressed and soiled.

She resigned because she objected to the way the company dealt with her complaints of sexual harassment.

Ms Marks complained Mr Evans had talked about sexual subjects. She said: "As I walked towards the door he leered at my body. It made my skin crawl.

"When we were both at our desks again I asked him to stop doing so."

When she made a formal complaint she felt disrespected and victimised by the company, which had a devastating mental effect.

She was signed off sick by her GP suffering from acute stress reaction. She could not face returning to work and resigned.

During cross-examination she denied making false accusations.

She admitted having serious personal problems and a psychological condition linked to her emotional state.

But she denied her life was so turbulent she could not concentrate on her work.

Mr Evans told the hearing he was shocked and upset when she made the allegations.

He said: "I did not look on purpose or intentionally at her breasts. I did not leer at her body."

He said the first time he realised anything was wrong was when she asked him not to let his eyes wander when he spoke to her.

He said: "I was absolutely shocked and embarrassed. I phoned my wife and told her what had happened and we decided to report the incident."

Mr Evans denied he had made a sexual reference to the way Ms Marks ate Hula Hoops.

He said: "She was picking them off her fingers and, as far as I can remember, I said, 'Careful, you will bite your finger off'. I did not turn it into a sexual or intimate comment."

The hearing continues.