The three women, from the Midlands and north of England, brought the case against Gro-Well Feeds, an animal feed manufacturer in Trowbridge, Wiltshire.

Jayne Lancashire, from South Kelsey, Lincolnshire, Elizabeth Marsden, from Burnley, Lancashire and Kim Cox, from Ilkeston, Derbyshire, were made redundant from the horse feed manufacturer, in June 2002.

They told an employment tribunal in Bristol that a male colleague was not made redundant even though his sales performance was no better than theirs.

Poor performance

He was not required to submit call reports as his female colleagues were and was provided with a fuel card and a better company car, the tribunal heard.

The three women, who worked for the company for less than 12 months, had been dismissed, allegedly for poor performance, before being reinstated and then made redundant.

Julie Mellor, chair of the Equal Opportunities Commission, which supported the case, said the decision "highlights the importance of consistency in the way employers treat staff".

She added: "Any suggestion that some employees have to meet higher targets than others or do not receive the same perks as colleagues doing the same job leaves the employer vulnerable to claims of discrimination".

Ms Lancashire, 32, won �12,758, Ms Marsden, 44, won �7,550, and Ms Cox, 42, won �5,792 for sex discrimination and unfair dismissal.