A Dublin-based engineering company has been ordered to compensate a former employee who was racially abused in the workplace.

The Equality Tribunal has ordered the unnamed company to pay €20,000 to the Englishman, who said the abuse began shortly after he joined the firm in April 2006.

He said his co-workers on the building site referred to him openly as "the Brit", sang Irish rebel songs and taunted him with negative comments about England.

The man, who requested anonymity, told the tribunal the abuse was so bad he began eating lunch in his car instead of the canteen.

He was made redundant two months after starting work and claims this happened because he was British.

The company rejected the harassment allegations and claimed the man never complained to his site manager about the abuse.

The tribunal found the man was racially harassed by co-workers, but it ruled he was not made redundant because of his nationality.