A company boss verbally abused his staff, drank excessively and made sexual comments to a female worker, an industrial tribunal heard.

Ronald Griffiths, managing director of Pickering firm Recommended Cottage Holidays Ltd, asked his staff to work long periods without regular breaks and became aggressive following bouts of drinking.

And his behaviour towards one employee, Cambridge University graduate Catherine Holmes Storey, of Pickering, led her to resign.

The tribunal heard that on one occasion Mr Griffiths told her: "That is an erotic top you are wearing; were you wearing it last night? Oh I miss all the good things."

On another occasion, Mr Griffiths was said to have turned up to her home late one night requesting a set of keys for the office when he had clearly been drinking to excess.

Mrs Holmes Storey said she had resigned after Mr Griffiths issued her with a written warning for being absent from work while sick.

Despite presenting him with genuine medical certificates showing she was ill, Mr Griffiths failed to accept she was unable to work.

The "straw that broke the camel's back" was the time she was asked to work from December 9-12 last year, Thursday to Saturday, during which time the company was mailing out 30,000 copies of its annual brochure.

"All members of staff were expected to work over the weekend - at about 4.45pm on the Sunday Mrs Storey Holmes complained of feeling unwell and told the company secretary," the tribunal heard.

It was told Mr Griffiths, who was in a public house at the time, became cross that she had left work before the appointed hour of 5.30pm and there followed an angry phone call from him to Mrs Holmes Storey.

On December 13 she received a formal written warning about her conduct and told further disruption might well result in her dismissal.

No attempt had been made to investigate the matter, the tribunal heard, and Mrs Holmes Storey was not asked for her side of the matter.

"The applicant was somewhat aggrieved and sought a retraction," the tribunal heard.

"She provided the company with appropriate medical certificates and asked for a contract of employment. When that was not given to her she resigned."

The tribunal decided Mrs Holmes Storey was entitled to resign her employment and accepted she was unfairly dismissed.

Mr Griffiths was ordered by the tribunal to pay Mrs Homes Storey £672.63 as a basic sum and £2,107.20 in compensation.