An 18 year old woman was left furious after being denied a job interview at an estate agency - because her CAR was too old.

Alanah Thompson French applied for the position of trainee lettings negotiator but was rejected because she drove a 2014 Citroen C1.

The industrious teenager spent over a year juggling two cafe positions to fund the £2,800 vehicle which she believed would boost her employment prospects.

However, when she put herself forward for a £20,000 position at haart Estate and Lettings Agents in Nottingham, her aspirations quickly stalled.

She was astonished upon receiving an email from the firm stating she would not be invited for interview.

Alanah was informed: "We regret to inform you that you have not been shortlisted for interview on this occasion as it is a requirement to have access to a vehicle under 10 years old."

The peculiar requirement meant Alanah's cherished Citroen exceeded the age limit by two years despite having clocked merely 33,000 miles, alongside a complete service history and MoT.

Alanah, from Burton Joyce, Notts., said: "I was really shocked when I received the rejection letter saying it was down to my car.

"I worked really hard whilst doing my A-Levels to pay for the car myself and pay the £700 insurance.

"My reason for getting a car was because I wanted to be able to drive for work but now it seems it was the reason I didn't get the job."

Alanah, who resides at home with her mum and dad, submitted her application for the trainee role last December. Despite nailing the application form, it seems she hit a snag when asked "is your car under 10 years old" and she marked "no".

Alanah commented: "If I hadn't got onto the shortlist because I didn't have the skills then fine but to be told it's because of the car I drive is a kick in the teeth.

"It's hardly an old banger and I keep it really clean inside and out.

"I'm only young so an older car was all I could afford. Obviously if I got the job I could save for a newer model but I need the job first.

"I finished my A-Levels and just didn't want to go to university and saddle myself with tens of thousands of pounds of debt.

"I wanted to get out into the world and really want to have a career in property but I've literally crashed at the first turning.

"It's really frustrating."

Danielle Parsons, employment partner at law firm Irwin Mitchell, stated that the car policy highlighted the obstacles young people encounter in the job market.

She expressed: "I'm concerned that this policy may disproportionately exclude younger less affluent applicants from applying for this job, particularly as this is an entry level position and job vacancies are currently few and far between.

"The response from haart doesn't point to any alternatives to this sort of blanket ban."

A spokesperson for haart responded: "It's extremely important that people who work for us use reliable vehicles for their own personal safety particularly where they travel many miles each day and often work alone.

"Evidence from motoring organisations shows that the likelihood of mechanical problems increases as vehicles get older.

"For that reason, and in line with many organisations that require staff to use their own cars for work purposes, our policy is that vehicles should normally be under 10 years old."