Unions yesterday warned that the case of a £100,000 compensation payout to a bank employee for intolerable stress was the tip of the iceberg.

The warning follows the pre-court settlement of Lloyds TSB with former branch financial adviser Leslie North yesterday. Mr North received psychiatric treatment after being asked to meet sales targets over his normal daily duties at the Warwickshire branches where he was based.

A spokesperson for Unifi, the finance and banking union, said that banking was increasingly becoming more competitive and there were increasing demands on staff from management. Increased sales production from financial advisers only resulted in ever increasing targets to be met.

A Lloyds TSB spokesperson is reported to have said that the company takes stress very seriously.