A former British firefighter told a tribunal she had sex with her superior in an unsuccessful bid to halt harassment against her.

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Kate Ellis, 40, a former firefighter with England's Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service, said station manager Mark Butler, 43, constantly belittled her abilities and refused to allow her to drive the fire engine, the Daily Mail reported Friday.

Ellis said she also suffered sexual harassment from other male firefighters.

She said she decided to "become a notch on the bedpost" of Butler to "calm the situation."

However, Ellis said the situation did not improve and she eventually resigned from the service at the end of 2008.

"He said there was no way around this and one of us had to go, as we couldn't work together," Ellis said of Butler.

Ellis is accusing the Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service of sexual discrimination and unfair dismissal.