Vegetarians cannot be victims of discrimination, a judge has ruled, as he dismissed the case of a hotel worker who claimed colleagues bullied him over his meat-free diet.

George Conisbee, 20, resigned from his position as a waiter at the Fritton Arms hotel near Lowestoft, Suffolk, after he was shouted at in front of customers for wearing an un-ironed shirt.

Mr Conisbee claimed he was given snacks by colleagues who later told him they contained meat, such as a croissant which had been basted in duck fat and pistachio sponge pudding which contained gelatine powder.

He argued that, as a vegetarian, he should have the same rights as employees who suffer discrimination over their religious beliefs or sexual orientation, which are characteristics protected by the 2010 Equality Act.

But his claim was thrown out at an employment tribunal in Norwich, Norfolk, after a judge decided that vegetarianism was a "lifestyle choice" and does not qualify for protection under the Act.

It is thought to be the first time a discrimination case revolving around being vegetarian has been brought to a tribunal.

The panel had to decide whether vegetarianism was "capable of satisfying the requirement and definition of being a philosophical belief" - a claim they ruled was "not well founded".