A Shropshire mother has told how her “lifeline was cut” after being unfairly dismissed from a county pharmacy.

Mother-of-four Deborah Baxter, from Telford, said she was “relieved” after winning an employment tribunal against her former employers, Rowlands Pharmacy, who have branches in Hadley, Sutton Hill and Stirchley.

The 30-year-old was employed for seven years with the pharmacy group until she was dismissed over allegations she released confidential company information to other staff.

But yesterday a tribunal in Liverpool found in Mrs Baxter’s favour and ruled that pharmacy bosses dismissed her unfairly.

The former area co-ordinator said she was dismissed after attending a work meeting last June where she was given confidential information on a product launch.

Two months later, she claimed, further information was given to her and she was told to prepare shops for their Christmas launch.

She then went back to staff and informed them of the new product in a bid to prepare the shops. She said bosses at Rowlands Pharmacy decided she was breaking the rules and suspended her in September. She was dismissed in November.

She said: “I was very, very shocked. I was devastated. They took the company car from me and I had three small children to get to school. I had to stop the children going to violin and trampolining because I couldn’t afford it and they were asking me why I wasn’t going to work. My lifeline was cut.”

The date for a remedy hearing, where compensation will be paid out to Mrs Baxter, is yet to be confirmed.

Human Resources manager at Rowlands Pharmacy, Sandra Roberts, said the company did not want to comment on the case.

By Jason Lavan