Recruitment consultant is FIRED for telling lorry driver he can't have an interview for a job eight miles from his home 'because he's British'

Michael Fowler, pictured with partner Louise Evans, was 'gobsmacked' when he got an email apparently rejecting his job application because he is British 

A lorry driver says he was stunned to be turned down for a job eight miles from his home - because he was British.

Michael Fowler was horrified when he got an email from a recruitment consultant which said "our positions exclude British candidates".

Recruitment agency Blu Global said it was "completely shocked" after it was shown the email from its consultant telling the lorry driver of 12 years that he couldn't apply.

It said the staff member who sent the email had her contract terminated as a result.

Michael, 39, applied for a delivery driver vacancy close to his home in Salisbury, Wiltshire.

But the response he received read: "Hi Michael, Are you British because our positions exclude British candidates? Kind regards, Plamena Ivanoa, recruitment consultant."

Plamena Ivanova, pictured, emailed Mr Fowler to tell him the opportunity was not open to applicants who were British 
Michael, who applied for the driving position on jobsite Indeed, said that it was advertised for drivers "to live and work in the EU".

The ad specified that applicants must be EU citizens and have a good level of English.

Michael said: "I was just gobsmacked. I thought I must have read the job advert wrong, but I hadn't."

A spokesman for Blu Global said that Ms Ivanoa, who sent the email, had had her contract terminated as a result of the incident and the company denied the claims that it would not hire British nationals.

The spokesman said: "We refute any allegations that we, as a business, discriminate in any way against our UK-based applicants.

"No candidate is denied a chance of employment based on their nationality, age, race, gender or sexual orientation.

"We can confirm that we continuously place candidates of European and British nationality with all of our past and present clients as we advertise for, and recruit, candidates both in the UK and across mainland Europe.

"Any deviation from this policy, by any member of staff or any independent person or organisation acting under or using the Blu global brand, is not supported in any way by the company.

"We will fully investigate this allegation."

Michael said: "I work for agencies all the time.

"I had applied on Indeed for this job which said you had to be an EU citizen eligible to work in the UK and could speak English.

"Ten minutes later, I got the email saying 'are you British?' I didn't think too much of it at the time.

"I was taken aback and a bit shocked, to apply for a job that's eight miles from my house and not be able to go for it.

"I guess I was shocked because I've been doing this job for 12 or 13 years and you get drivers from everywhere. Polish drivers, English drivers, people from everywhere.

"I've never really experienced anything like this before, everyone works together normally.

"My local paper spoke to a solicitor and he said it is discriminatory and businesses shouldn't be practicing that way."