We are going to urge the government to conduct a full and independent inquiry into discrimination throughout British Rail Jeff Crawford, West Indian Standing Conference

BR does not have to abide by staff committees' recommendations on appointments but they are very influential.

However, at a news conference on Friday BR spokesman Leslie Leppington said the colour bar at Euston Station had now been ended and Mr Xavier would be given a job.

However, Mr Leppington insisted the ban - rumoured to have been in place for 12 years - had not been a "real" colour bar.

He said it had been instigated by the workers out of a desire to protect their jobs and had never been management policy.

"If we had wanted to impose a real colour bar we would not have done it this way.

"We would have found some excuse to show he was not suitable for the job, wouldn't we?" Mr Leppington said.

Mr Xavier, 44, is currently off work due to ill health and was not at the news conference.

But afterwards the secretary of the West Indian Standing Conference, Jeff Crawford, said they would be calling for the government to take action.

"We are going to urge the government to conduct a full and independent inquiry into discrimination throughout British Rail - to find out the extent of the problem, the cause and effect and the solution," Mr Crawford said.

Similar bans to that ended at Euston are reported to be in force at other London stations including Camden and Broad Street.

But under current law the government's options to curb them are limited.

The Race Relations Act was passed last year but contains only measures to combat racial discrimination in public places such as hotels and pubs.

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