THREE former members of staff at the Real Deal who claimed they were sacked on-the-spot for protesting for their wages have been paid.

Roena Pallister, Lesley Scott and Pam Flecknell returned to the store in Cinderford last week fighting for wages they claim were still outstanding from May.

The trio were fighting for wage in lieu of notice and holiday pay which amounted to nearly £2,000.

Roena, who is from Yorkley, said: "We are over the moon to finally get the money we are owed. We received our wages for April in May but as we were sacked at the end of May we were still awaiting our wages in lieu of notice and holiday pay. We decided to continue our protest and it was then our manager said they would pay us in two instalments over a two-week period.

"Last Wednesday afternoon I received a call to say we would be paid the full amount the next day. We would like to thank everybody who supported us as without them I am certain we wouldn't have got the result we have."

The former Beales store closed at the end of May after it was alleged the business had ran into financial difficulty. The smaller unit next door remains open for business.

Landlord of the store, Midcounties Co-operative said: "We have taken back possession of the unit from a tenant who found themselves in a position where they could no longer operate the business.

"Our aim is to ensure we find alternative tenants who will complement other retailers in the town and we are actively working to make this happen."