Harrow Council did not comment but said it was considering an appeal

The women lived in sheltered homes for the elderly in the London borough of Harrow and worked a basic 37 hour week.

But they were kept on call for another 76 hours.

An employment tribunal said the council had breached working time regulations and awarded the women �1,500 compensation each.

During their standby time they could not leave the sheltered housing, and the women said this led to social isolation.

This recognises the right of every working person to enjoy some sort of social life away from work Solicitor Anita Vadgama

The tribunal said the council had not given the women proper daily rest or given them the national minimum wage for their time on standby.

It decided the 76 hours the workers were on call counted as work.

The women are also likely to get back pay worth thousands in addition to the �1,500 compensation.

Tony Warr, the GMB union official who backed the women's case, said: "This is a major breakthrough for low paid and over-worked employees.

"The conditions imposed on these dedicated workers made a nonsense of the requirement that they should enjoy a minimum of 11 hours of uninterrupted rest from work every day."

'Trapped for 24 hours'

Solicitors Thompsons, engaged by the union to fight the case, said it was a "landmark" decision.

"This recognises the right of every working person to enjoy some sort of social life away from work.

"These women were trapped for 24 hours a day, five days a week and could not leave their homes because they were on call," said solicitor Anita Vadgama.

The workers had been able to regain control over their family and social lives, Thompsons said.

Harrow Council did not comment but said it was considering an appeal.