A landmark court case has paved the way for employers to dismiss staff based on age - flouting discrimination rules - to escape huge pension payouts.

The appeals court said on Thursday it was OK for an NHS trust to dismiss its chief executive as he approached 50 to avoid him clocking up pensions liabilities worth up to £1m. Nigel Woodcock was told in 2007 he would be dismissed when he reached 49, giving him a pension worth £200,000. If the trust had let him work until 50, his pension pot would have risen to between £500,000 and £1m, so bosses terminated his post. After a three-year battle, the Court of Appeal ruled today in the employer's favour, which will pave the way for public and private sector employers to legitimately dismiss staff based on age - even though the practice is unlawful......Read more here---: Appeals court: Firms can sack older workers to cut costs