A couple who were sacked from a pub have won their case for unfair dismissal - but they will not get a penny in compensation.

An employment tribunal decided Rick and Linda Voiello were unfairly dismissed but their behaviour constituted gross misconduct.

The couple, who managed the Ladies Mile pub in Patcham, Brighton, were sacked in January by owner Golden Lion Inns.

The firm said they held an after-hours drinking session and incurred stock shortages which cost it £5,000. There was also a high number of customer complaints.

At the tribunal in Brighton they won their case for unfair dismissal because Golden Lion, based at Brighton Marina, failed to operate a fair disciplinary procedure.

However, the tribunal ruled that the couple, who now run a pub in Dorking, Surrey, should have realised that by running up such a large stock deficit they were risking their jobs. It ruled they were 100 per cent responsible for the dismissal.

During the hearing, Sami Raham, representing Golden Lion, said the company felt forced to sack the couple on the spot because they could not provide any explanation for the stock shortage.

He said: "It was their joint responsibility to run a tight ship. The onus was on them and them alone.

"But the cavalier way they ran The Ladies Mile suggested they tried to treat it as their own pub and not as a business belonging to somebody else."

Martin Downs, representing the couple, said they had never been given a proper contract so it was difficult to establish what their responsibilities were and whether their behaviour constituted gross misconduct.

He said no written warnings were given when they started to run into difficulties.

He said there was no proper investigation into the allegations and the couple were never interviewed about them or offered the chance to appeal against the sacking.

The tribunal confirmed a company the size of Golden Lion Inns should have a proper disciplinary and grievance procedure in place.

However, the panel preferred Golden Lion's evidence with regard to the couple's behaviour and decided against awarding compensation.