A CARETAKER who was forced into retirement has pledged to take her former bosses to an employment tribunal for age discrimination.

Doreen Scruby, 66, was a caretaker at Brookfield House School in Alders Avenue, Woodford Green, for 21 years until she left last week after a long-running battle to keep her job.

She and her husband Dennis, who has lung cancer, are also facing being evicted from their home in the school grounds.

But their GP has said it is essential the couple remain where they are for Mr Scruby’s health.

Mrs Scruby said: “It’s made me ill, I feel unwell because of everything we are going through.

“I’m fighting for everything. I’m more than capable of continuing to work and I’m really willing but they are discriminating against me because I’m 66 years old.”

She added that Waltham Forest Council has given her until October 31 to vacate her three-bedroom bungalow in the school grounds to make way for a family to move in.

They have been offered a one-bedroom flat after an application to stay was rejected.

But the couple hope they will be allowed to stay after their GP wrote a letter saying Mr Scruby must have easy access to fresh air while he recovers from an operation.

Mrs Scruby added: “I’m so angry, it’s thrown our lives up in the air. We are fighting this though, it doesn’t end here.”

Four other employees including a part-time janitor and a food lab technician, all over the age of 65, have also been forced to take retirement. The headmaster, Gary Pocock, was unavailable for comment.

A council spokesman said: “The couple’s previous letter didn’t say that the house is essential to the husband’s health so they do have to submit a fresh application which the council would then consider.”

He added on behalf of Mr Pocock: "Mrs Scruby and the four otherts were over retirement age, that was all. It's his prerogative whether to keep them on and he decided against it and the school backed him. Mrs Scruby was informed of this back in March. Whether her and the others' job roles will be filled again or merged is still under review, but their retirement was not to do with budget cuts."

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