A former Amazon employee is suing the company for allegedly not allowing him to take toilet breaks despite having a long-term condition that causes inflammation of the digestive system.

Nicolas Stover, who has Crohn's disease, worked an an Amazon call centre in Winchester, Kentucky for just over a year, where he was responsible for answering phones and assisting customers with queries.

Mr Stover informed Amazon during the hiring process and job training period that he suffers from Crohn's disease, an inflammatory bowel condition, according the suit filed in the US District Eastern District of Kentucky.

“Nevertheless, prior to hiring Mr. Stover, the Amazon defendants did not inform him of their unyielding and inhuman policies governing bathroom access,” the suit filed in court by lawyers representing Mr Stover claims.

During a 9 hour shift, Amazon employees are allotted an hour long lunch break and two 15 minute pre allocated breaks. Staff are not allowed to take more than 10 minutes of "unscheduled personal time" away from their desk a day and more than 20 minutes in total a week, according to the complaint.

If an employee uses up their personal time at the start of the week they are unable to take an unscheduled break for the remainder of the week, the suit alleges, adding that if they do, they will be subject to disciplinary action.