More than 170 women who worked for Birmingham City Council won their equal pay compensation fight at the UK's highest court.

The ruling allows anyone to make a claim within six years, where previously they had been time-barred after six months.

In Scotland, due to different breach of contract legislation, anyone will now be able to make an equal pay claim back to 2007.

It comes as an equal pay case involving 5500 current and former employees of Glasgow City Council gets under way. The tribunal is expected to run until December.

The claims follow the council's settlement of thousands of cases in 2007 and come at a time of a squeeze on council budgets.

Further cases involving North and South Lanarkshire are also imminent.

The Supreme Court rejected the council's argument the claims should have been made within six months of staff leaving their jobs.

Carol Fox, who is leading the claims for the Glasgow staff, said the ramifications of the Birmingham verdict would be felt in Scotland.

She added: "This is an excellent result and will have a positive effect for claimants in Scotland."