A married father of three claims he was forced out of work by homophobic taunting because of Brighton's large gay population.

Stephen English, a 56-yearold salesman, told a tribunal he was goaded for five years by colleagues when they found out he lived in the city and had been to boarding school.

He has twice had his employment claim turned down, but is being backed by the Equality and Human Rights Commission to seek a landmark judgement from the Court of Appeal.

Mr English worked for Thomas Sanderson Blinds in Portsmouth from 1996 until 2005 and says he became the butt of jokes about Brighton and homosexuality from 2000.

He said he was branded a "faggot" and faced jokes that he frequented Duke's Mound, a well-known gay pick-up spot.

In the company's in-house journal a member of his sales team wrote that when he visited Mr English's house in Cranmer Avenue, Hove, he found him on his way to Brighton's Pride festival dressed in skin-tight cycling shorts.

In a statement handed to the tribunal Mr English said: "I gradually grew more and more upset and worn down by these sorts of comments, particularly as my daughters were now teenagers and very impressionable.

"To see comments of this type in print brought it home to me that I could not tolerate the situation any longer."

In August 2005 he resigned from the company.

Mr English said: "I could no longer tolerate the sustained course of harassment both from within my team and at regional level which had been ongoing for many years and which I regarded as an unwarranted and totally unjustified violation of my dignity."

No one was available to comment on the case when The Argus contacted Thomas Sanderson Blinds yesterday.

A spokeswoman for the Equality and Human Rights Commission said: "This is a case about fair treatment in the workplace.

"Would you like your mother, or your brother or your best friend to be treated in the way Mr English alleges?

"It is a fact that people are harassed at work because they are gay. It is also a fact that individuals are harassed because they are black, they are disabled, are religious, are women or just look wrong'.

"It doesn't matter what the reason or who you are, experience of harassment is distressing and real."

Mr English brought his claim under the Employment Equality (Sexual Orientation) Regulations 2003.

A panel at Brighton Employment Tribunal decided that because Mr English's colleagues knew he was not gay, he was not protected in law because technically he was not being harassed on the basis of his sexuality.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission spokeswoman said: "Currently, it is unclear whether those in situations similar to Mr English's benefit from the protection of the law.

"A positive ruling would help a wide range of individuals who have suffered harassment based on out of date stereotypes."