A lesbian estate agent was sacked from a gay-friendly company because of her poor work performance not because she was 16-weeks pregnant, a tribunal was told yesterday.

Corrina Slow alleges her boss at 2Let estate agency, whose distinctive rainbow advertising boards are a familiar sight in Brighton and Hove, fired her after discovering she was pregnant.

Miss Slow, 27, who lives with her girlfriend Hilary Noble, 33, a bus driver, and two-month-old daughter Edith, in College Place, Kemp Town, Brighton, is claiming unfair dismissal and sexual discrimination.

She was the manager of the 2Let office in Western Road, Hove, and became pregnant after receiving artificial insemination at a private clinic last May.

Her former boss Kevin Newman told the Brighton Employment Tribunal that he dismissed Miss Slow due to her poor performance and knew nothing about the pregnancy until the following day.

He said: "I didn't fire her because she was pregnant. I didn't even know she was pregnant."

Mr Newman said Miss Slow did not look pregnant when he dismissed her on August 23.

He said he wanted to let his employee down gently, so informed her that she had lost her job because he had decided to take over the running of the office.

Under cross-examination he admitted he had not given the reason for the sacking of Miss Slow as her poor work, on his official response to the sexual discrimination questionnaire. However, he said Miss Slow was aware of his concerns because he had discussed them with her at a meeting ten days before. Miss Slow denies the meeting ever took place.

Mr Newman said: "Corrina is a nice enough person. She comes over well but I honestly believed she could never make a profit for the company."

2Let, along with 4Sale agents in Kemp Town, is owned by Mr Newman and his partner under their umbrella company Kilmaurs (Holdings) Ltd. The estate agency specialises in finding homes for gay couples.

Miss Noble said she had been shocked when Miss Slow told her she had been fired. She showed the tribunal photographs of Miss Slow's pregnant bump, claiming they were taken on the day of the dismissal.

She said: "I thought there was a possibility that Mr Newman might try and say she wasn't pregnant when she quite clearly was."

Paul Harding, then branch manager at 4Sale and now general manager of both offices, said the photos did not reflect how Miss Slow looked at the time. He said: "Corrina neither appeared pregnant nor made mention of the fact."

Mr Harding also told the tribunal that there had been concerns about 2Let's performance at the time. He said 2Let only had four properties on its books at the lowest point of Miss Slow's management but there were now at least 25.

The hearing will continue today.