An over-weight jobseeker has slammed local restaurant owners, claiming they won’t give him a job because he’s too fat.

Danai Nkomo has been unemployed since November last year, after leaving his job as a chef at the Croydon branch of TGI Fridays.

Mr Nkomo, who weighs nearly 23 stone, claims his fruitless job search is because employers have a problem with his size.

He said: "It hurts my feelings, and it crushes my spirit. They should not be turning me down because of my looks.

"In my first two interviews I was maybe a bit nervous, but I learned from my mistakes and made the necessary changes."

Mr Nkomo, who is 26, studied at Carshalton College, where he obtained an NVQ level 2 Qualification in Hospitality and Catering.

He continued: "I am confident, I have everything on paper, and the interviews always go really well, so I don’t understand why they are emailing me rejections further down the line.

"I am certain that if I come up against a thinner candidate, they will always be chosen over me, simply because of the way I look."

The former Greenshaw High student formerly worked at McDonalds, and for Sainsbury’s as a parking attendant.

Two weeks ago he was interviewed for a catering vacancy, but he later received an email stating his application had been unsuccessful.

He continued: "Maybe if I was thinner I would be given a job somewhere, but I shouldn’t have to lose weight just to get a job.

"People should accept me for who I am."