A legal test case concerning the right of employers to force their workers to retire at the age of 65 is currently underway in the European Court of Justice.

The case is centred on the issue of whether the government has properly implemented a European Union directive which allows organisations to make people retire at this age.

Under UK law, although employers are banned from treating older workers in a less favourable manner than their younger colleagues, they have the right to force them to give up work at 65.

According to a BBC report, there are currently 260 claims in England, Scotland and Wales which are awaiting the verdict of the test case before they will proceed.

Commenting on the issue, Alisa Ogilvie, director of Heyday, said: "It is absurd to think that as soon as you turn 65, the knowledge and skills that you’ve built up over the years are no longer valued."