The owners of a Covent Garden cheesecake shop have been made to pay £20k to a former worker who was wrongfully dismissed. Leila Ayad, 31, was dismissed from her role at Whipped cafe in Bedfordbury after she complained about being made to work with the door open during winter.

Her working relationship with owners Alice Churchill and Jamie Musialek deteriorated after Ms Ayad asked the couple if a heater could be installed in the shop. She brought to attention in a staff WhatsApp group that it was 12C inside - four degrees under the minimum temperature for workspace conditions according to the government.

Following this the owners and her manager began to raise concerns over her alleged lateness and other concerns. This led to a disciplinary meeting two months after the complaint, and her h

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