High-flying mum of one, Diane Winship a £70,000 a year accountant was told to delete any mention of her one-year-old daughter Gabriella if she was going to land a similar paid job.

Mrs Winship who is currently suing former employers, Goldenberg Hehmeyer for sex discrimination and unfair dismissal was told by a jobcentre that mention of her daughter on her CV could be the reason for the rejections.

Speaking to the Evening Standard, Mrs Winship said: “They told me something that shocked me, which I still cannot get over. I was to delete the line that I had a child on my CV, as it could be a cause of not getting work.”

Mrs Winship says her former employers sacked her while on maternity leave.

She states that the trading house broke their promise to allow her to come back to work part-time after four months maternity leave. Shortly before her scheduled return to work, Mrs Winship says the organisation demanded she returned to work full-time.

Mrs Winship claims that she received hundreds of letters from the company’s lawyers persuading her to return permanently to work.

In further comments to the paper, Mrs Winship remarked: “The tone of these letters was very cold and I felt they were designed to put extra pressure on me to sign a witness statement and to give in on my agreement to return to work on a part-time basis.”

Mrs Winship made complaints but was accused of being disruptive and following disciplinary proceedings she was sacked.

Goldenberg Hehmeyer strongly denies her claims. The case continues.

In related news, a new survey conducted by the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC), the first ever investigation into pregnancy discrimination in the workplace has found that many employers are falling foul of maternity regulations. To read the full story see: Employers slip up over maternity laws