A County Durham woman who claimed her interview with Toby Carvery was axed due to her disabilities has secured a new job in a bar.

Victoria Clark, from Kelloe in County Durham, last month said that her interview was halted before it started when a staff member for Toby Carvery in Billingham realised she was disabled.

The 25-year-old, who lives with autism and hearing loss and partial sight, was joined by her job coach and managing director Heidi Smith of support service Learning Abilities CIC on August 22 who claimed she was told "if she has disabilities, this isn’t going to work".

Victoria Clark, 25.Victoria Clark, 25. (Image: VICTORIA CLARK)

Victoria, who was "angry" and "upset" by the rejection, has now revealed that she has secured a job at The Swan pub in Billingham.

She told The Northern Echo: "At my new job I'm doing a whole mixture of things - I've been serving, taking orders, taking orders to the bar and serving drinks.

"I was then able to go behind the bar and help clean up and organise cutlery. I love it so far, I have had my in job support with me but I was able to do it all myself."

Following her interview ordeal, Victoria is now happy and settled in her job and said she is already getting compliments from both her boss and customers she's serving.

"My boss is really nice and had a chat with me at the end of my shift", she added.

"Customers were saying I was doing fantastic - that I was really polite and helpful."

Immediately following the alleged instance of "discrimination" at Toby Carvery, the chain confirmed that they are conducting a full investigation.

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A spokesperson for Toby Carvery said: "We are proud of our record as an inclusive employer, and we know from our employee survey data that we support many employees with learning disabilities to have successful careers, clearly demonstrating our commitment to providing equal employment opportunities for all. 

"We cannot comment on this particular case other than to say we that have received a complaint and are taking the matter very seriously.

"We will fully investigate the concerns raised but is not helpful to do so in public and we will not be commenting further until we have explored the matter fully."