Seb Rodger has launched a blistering attack on British Athletics chiefs after being controversially left out of the squad for next week’s European Championships.

Rodger looked to have secured his place in the team for Amsterdam when he won the British 400m hurdles title in Birmingham at the weekend, clocking the qualifying time in the process.

But the 24-year-old from Eastbourne was not included in the 98-strong squad announced yesterday along with Sussex trio Rob Mullett, Lee Emanuel and Jade Lally with the three athletes he finished ahead of on Sunday getting the nod instead.

Rodger said: “I’m very, very disappointed. I was on such a high after winning on Sunday and then to find out that British Athletics had moved the goalposts and done this to me yesterday was just unbelievable.

“It just sums up British Athletics really. When I asked them why I wasn’t picked the answer was pretty much that they had decided on the team last Tuesday and couldn’t be bothered to change it.

“That is unacceptable when they are playing with people’s lives. I’ve had a tough time over the last couple of years but felt things were just starting to go my way by winning the national title and then they have stuck two fingers up at me.

“I’ve had loads of messages from fellow athletes saying how mental it is but when you try to get an answer from British Athletics they just stick their heads in the sand. I’m sick and tired of it.”

Rodger ran the fastest heat time in Birmingham and then finished ahead of Jack Green, Rhys Williams and Tom Burton in the final in a season’s best of 49.45sec – comfortably inside the European qualifying time of 49.80sec.

British Athletics bosses opted to select Green and Williams on the basis they are ranked one and two in the UK this year but also picked Burton who is ranked below Rodger in fourth place.

As well as missing out on competing at his second European Championships – Rodger reached the semi-finals in 2014 – his non-selection hinders his chances of making the squad for the Olympics.

The former St Bede’s pupil needs to run the qualifying time of 49.40sec by July 11 to put himself in contention for Rio.

Rodger added: “It’s so frustrating as I know that if I had gone to Amsterdam in the form I am in then I would have run the time easily. Now my agent is ringing around trying to find races when there isn’t much going on because of the European Championships.

“I’m going to Finland tomorrow so hopefully I can run the qualifying time there and prove my point to the selectors. I’m seething at the moment but what has happened has given me extra motivation to show they are wrong.”

Mullett, from Lewes, earned his place on the plane to Amsterdam after winning the 3,000m steeplechase title in Birmingham on Saturday while Lally, from Maidenbower, landed her fifth discus gold in the last seven years.

Emanuel, from Hastings, was a disappointing fifth in the 1,500m final at the Alexandra Stadium but got one of the three spots in the European team as Brighton’s Charlie Grice and Chris O’Hare - who finished first and second at the British Championships – were omitted to enable them to focus on the Olympics.