A married couple working at a popular holiday park subjected staff to sexism, racism and bullying, a tribunal heard.

An employment tribunal was told that two other workers had made various sex and race claims which included touching one worker’s breasts while she was washing up.

They said another colleague was repeatedly branded ‘that lazy fat bitch’ and ‘she is happy to sit on her fat arse on reception’.

The workers also claimed Philip and Tracy Hulse referred to a mixed race worker with the N word and another offensive racist term at the Mother Ivey’s Bay holiday park at Padstow, Cornwall, and called a Polish worker ‘useless’.

Ground maintenance worker Mr Hulse, 52, was also accused of sexual harassment by asking a female employee who was eating a strawberry pencil sweet ‘is it big?’ and ‘is it getting stuck in your throat?’

The Exeter tribunal was told that the couple used bullying and offensive language about disabled people, and East European workers.

The couple, from Newton Abbot, worked at the park for around 13 years before they quit over the allegations in July 2015.

They claimed unfair constructive dismissal against the park owners.

Housekeeper Mrs Hulse was accused of psychologically bullying other members of staff and talking in derogatory terms about various people to customers and visitors to the park.

Her husband was accused of making racist and sexist remarks.

Under cross examination from lawyer Terry Falcão, Mrs Hulse, 48, denied saying that one female worker’s ‘thighs were too fat to fit between the bed to Hoover’ and being ‘a fat lazy bitch’.

She denied referring to a mixed race American worker by another racist phrase and branding boss Patrick Langmaid ‘a complete prat’.

And she also denied claims that she said of a disabled boy ‘he stinks and is dirty’.

The mother of two accepted the comments were ‘pretty horrible and discriminatory’ and that Mr Langmaid had to investigate them.

They quit their jobs with a one-month pay-off in July – the busiest time of year – when 20 staff have to look after 2,500 people holidaying on site.

Mrs Hulse claimed boss Mr Langmaid said her husband would be sacked for what he had done and she would get a final written warning – but she said her position was untenable without her husband of 29 years.

She said of the allegations against them: ‘It was hearsay. It was such a shock.

‘We did not want to throw away 13 years of our life on a whim. It made us homeless and we still are.

‘We were forced into resigning. I don’t accept any of the allegations.’

She said at a meeting with Mr Langmaid he made it clear that her husband would be dismissed.

They accused him of saying: ‘I already know the outcome’ of any disciplinary hearing.

Mrs Hulse admitted that even if Mr Langmaid had offered them an opportunity of resigning rather than a disciplinary hearing and even if he had not dismissed them, their positions had become untenable.

None of the 20 employees had supported them.

Mr Hulse then decided not to give evidence midway through the proceedings and they withdrew their claims against the firm. The judge dismissed the case.

Mr Falcão said after the case that his client, Mr Langmaid, had shown compassion for them as longstanding employees by offering them a chance to resign.

When they brought claims, he made a principled stand against conduct that was not acceptable and he had been vindicated.