A COUPLE fired from a four-star hotel in North Yorkshire after complaining about a colleague partying have lost their battle for unfair dismissal.

Gordon Stoton, 48, and Tracy Beck, 50, joined the staff of the Aldwark Manor Golf and Spa Hotel In September 2014 but were sacked in November 2014, an employment tribunal was told.

When they moved in, they were given staff accommodation in South Lodge in the hotel grounds - which Mr Stoton claimed was "not fit for a dog".

The couple claim they were fired after complaining about a colleague partying in the staff accommodation and also because it was too much trouble and expense for the hotel to deal with their complaints about their quarters, the hearing in Leeds was told.

But General Manager Paul Beswick said Mr Stoton, who worked behind the bar, had walked out of shifts and argued with heads of department.

He had shown the couple how to do certain tasks and they had persisted in not performing them properly, he said.

Mrs Beck could not carry more than two plates while working in the restaurant, and both had shown a disregard for uniform issues, the hearing was told.

Mr Beswick said they had already provided the couple with a new fridge, microwave, toaster, and heater, and ordered a repair on their boiler more than a fortnight before the dismissal in November last year.

There had been a suggestion that couple could swap mattresses with another tenant or that Mr Beswick could buy them a new one.

Georgina Nolan, representing the company, Marston Hotels Ltd, which runs Q Hotels, said Mr Stoton and Ms Beck had been in the pub at the same time as the colleague about whom they complained, and she said: "It would be surprising behaviour if they found this gentleman so intimidating that they wanted to socialise with him at the pub."

She added: "There were a number of concerns raised over the conduct of the claimants and they may not have behaved while employed at the hotel in the professional manner expected."

Tribunal judge Susan Cox said the panel was satisfied the couple had been dismissed over their performance and a "whistle blowing" claim would also have failed.

She added: "It seems to us they were making these disclosures in their own interest to improve their accommodation."

The couple, who live in Southampton, claimed they were wrongly dismissed over health and safety and accommodation issues but their case was rejected after a two day hearing.