REPRESENTATIVES of a binman who claims he was sacked from his job because of his allegiance to Ukip say that vital evidence was not disclosed for three years.

The team representing Brighton and Hove binman Des Jones say they have received the testimony of a handwriting expert from his former employer’s solicitors that throws into doubt the case against their client with his industrial tribunal due to start today.

The 64-year-old, from Hollingdean in Brighton, was dismissed from his post in August last year after almost 40 years’ service over allegations that he scrawled homophobic abuse on two posters advertising LGBT mentoring in the staff canteen at the CityClean depot in Brighton.

Mr Jones’s legal representative Stuart Bower received documents from the solicitor representing CityClean and Brighton and Hove City Council which included an email from handwriting expert Steve Cosslett dating from September 2011.

Mr Bower, a former Sussex Police officer, said it had been previously maintained that CityClean did not use a handwriting expert in their investigation because there was insufficient handwriting on the defaced poster for an expert to make a judgement but that the writing was sufficiently similar to Mr Jones’ handwriting to find him guilty.

However, an email exchange between the council and Steve Cosslett revealed that the forensic handwriting expert concluded that although there were similarities in the writing on the poster and Mr Jones’s handwriting, the evidence was “very weak and far from conclusive”.

By failing to disclose the document Mr Bower claims the council was in breach of ACAS guidelines.

ACAS is the government body working on employment tribunals.

Mr Bowes said three years of taxpayers’ money had been wasted pursuing the case, which had caused Mr Jones incredible stress.

He added: “If that had come to light in the first disciplinary hearing, there is no way he would have been found guilty of writing those messages.

“If I had known about this at the management hearing in May then I would have had the opportunity to call this handwriting expert as a witness at the tribunal.”

A Brighton and Hove City Council spokeswoman said the council is unable to comment ahead of the employment tribunal.