Sharon Douglas, assisted by the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland, was the only female employed in the technical services section of the council’s environmental services department.

Based in the Limavady Depot as a yard/storeperson, she alleged that she was discriminated against in the allocation of overtime and training facilities and that she was subjected to harassment. Ms Douglas resigned from her employment in May 2018.

The £25,000 sum was made up of £10,000 to compensate her for the injury to her feelings and a further £15,000 in respect of her loss of earnings to the date of the settlement and any future loss of salary incurred by her resignation.

Michael Wardlow, chief commissioner of the Equality Commission, said: “This is a case in which a woman, in a minority of one in an otherwise male workforce, feels she was excluded from benefits and advantages which were available to her male colleagues, such as training and access to overtime. She was only asking to be given the same opportunities as the men working alongside her, but the responses she got worsened, rather than helped, her situation.

“Asking her colleagues whether they would be ‘OK’ working alongside her was unlikely to have been asked about a male employee and, of course, saying that cleaning the toilets ‘needed a woman’s touch’ was a direct and inappropriate reference to her gender.

“The Council has agreed, in this settlement, to meet with the Commission and review its policies, practices and procedures to ensure that they comply in all respects with its obligations. Employers must make sure, not only that they have such policies in place, but that all their staff are fully aware of the importance the employer places on implementing them. The Council has agreed to consider all reasonable recommendations the Commission may make regarding any amendments to policies and also regarding the training of staff.”