Catherine Sanderson – La Petite Anglaise to 3,000 regular readers – launched legal action in France last summer, claiming unfair dismissal against accountancy firm Dixon Wilson, which was never named in her diary.

The tribunal's decision should send reassuring signals to the millions of people "blogging" in France.

Ms Sanderson, 34, who is originally from York, said: "It's fantastic news. I'm so relieved that good sense has prevailed. I always felt that my dismissal was an unnecessarily harsh sanction and clearly the prud'hommes shared my view."

Full details of arguments underpinning the tribunal decision will be available in a fortnight's time, after which her ex-employer will have one month in which to lodge an appeal.

Ms Sanderson was awarded a year's salary of £30,000 plus costs and, if it decides not to appeal, Dixon Wilson will reimburse the French government for unemploy-ment benefits she received over last summer.

Since Ms Sanderson's online writing brought her international attention seven months ago she has gone from out-of-work secretary to soon-to-be-published author.

There have even been talks with film producers about the story of how her musings on life as an expatriate in Paris became an internet sensation.

Ms Sanderson, who has lived in Paris since grad-uating from Bath Univ-ersity, is nearing the end of her first book, based on anecdotes and events featured in her blog.