A rail inspector has won £90,000 after he was sacked for failing to provide a urine sample for a drugs test - because he had a medical condition that meant he was too shy to wee. Railwayman Lewis Smith suffered from 'shy bladder syndrome' which left him too nervous to go to the loo when Network Rail called him in for the random check.
He pleaded that he wasn't trying to dodge it and even offered to carry out a blood test - but still he was fired for refusing to take part. Mr Smith, who previously had trouble going to the loo at social occasions, was later diagnosed with the disorder 'paruresis' by his GP.
The condition prevents people from peeing while under pressure or when other people around, and can be experienced by men flanked by other men at urinals. Mr Smith, who worked for Network Rail for nine years and managed a team of 12 in a safety critical role, successfully sued his former employer for unfair dismissal at an employment tribunal.
