A job centre in England refused to accept an advertisement for a "reliable" worker because it discriminated against unreliable people.

Nicole Mamo, who runs a recruitment company, posted a request for a domestic cleaner on her local Jobcentre Plus website.

It asked little of applicants other than that they have a good command of English and "must be very reliable and hard-working".

However, when she contacted Jobcentre Plus in Thetford, Norfolk, a member of staff told her the advert would not be displayed in-store in case unreliable workers sued for discrimination.

"I laughed because I thought that was crazy," said Miss Mamo, whose company also supplies NHS staff.