BIRMINGHAM City Council may have to pay compensation running into tens of millions of pounds to cooks, cleaners and care staff after losing a groudbreaking equal pay case.

Britain’s biggest local authority faces the prospect of being sued by thousands of women who, for years, were denied hefty bonuses paid to male workers, including refuse collectors, street cleaners, road workers and grave diggers.

The Court of Appeal yesterday came down on the side of 174 former council cleaners, cooks, caterers and care staff, and agreed that they can take their compensation battle to the High Court.

Their back-pay claim, which stands at about £3 million, has been described as “the tip of the iceberg” by lawyers, who expect hundreds of fresh claims to be lodged. The council has already set aside more than £200 million to settle equal pay claims brought since 2007.

Council leaders are now considering a last attempt to defeat the women by lodging a final appeal at the Supreme Court – the highest legal body in the land.

But lawyers at Leigh Day & Co, who represented the 174 women, said the legal costs of doing so would hit £500,000 and accused them of wasting taxpayers cash by continuing to fight the case.