A LOTTERY collector - sacked by Bury FC after 13 years service following a commission row - is now owed more than £16,000.

Keith Hitchen told a Manchester employment tribunal he was "ambushed" when he was summoned to a meeting by then-commercial director Matt Caren and told he was being dismissed for gross misconduct.

For more than a decade, 61-year-old Mr Hitchen had been collecting lottery money, on behalf of the club, then deducting 15 per cent plus petrol expenses each week for his work, the hearing was told.

But club officials wanted to reorganise the lottery and insisted lottery collectors would be paid monthly in arrears, and any fuel expenses had to be cleared by a consultant, Lee Cummins.

Mr Hitchen and another lottery collector were informed of the proposed changes, at a meeting in October 2017, but did not agree to them, the tribunal heard.

When Mr Hitchen went out on his rounds, he collected money in the same way as he had for 13 years, the hearing was told, before handing in his takings, minus his commission.

The tribunal heard that same day, he was called to a meeting by Mr Cummins and suspended, on suspicion of gross misconduct.

His disciplinary meeting took place four days later, without any prior knowledge of the allegations against him, and he was sacked.

An appeal was lodged by Mr Hitchen, which was heard by chief executive Karl Evans, who confirmed the original decision.

Mr Evans later accepted he had not checked Mr Hitchen's disciplinary record - which was clean - and only had 'scribbled' notes from the original disciplinary meeting.

Ruling in the lottery collector's favour, Employment Judge Sherrilyn Warren, said he had been unfairly dismissed.

She added: The claimant rightly described himself as ambushed in the disciplinary hearing. He had no notice of the allegations against him, or of any evidence gathered.

"He was not given the opportunity to have anyone with him. The meeting was un-minuted. The reason given for the dismissal did not match the reason for the suspension.

"It is completely unclear how the decision was taken and what was taken into account."

The judge said the club had the opportunity to put the matter right, on appeal, but even Mr Evans accepted he was "in no sense independent".

Mr Hitchen was awarded £16,678 from Bury Football Club Company Ltd over his dismissal - which included a 20 per cent compensatory increase for the manner of his sacking.

The club was later ordered to pay their former employee's legal costs of £1,980.