British Airways cabin crew facing the axe for mocking a 15stone colleague about her weight in a WhatsApp group

Two British Airways cabin crew are facing the axe for mocking a 15stone colleague about her weight in a WhatsApp group.

The stewardess, who is in her early 20s, was left horrified after she was shown the messages by a friend because she was not in the chat herself.

And furious colleagues urged her to take the messages to their bosses after the woman, from Wiltshire, was left terrified to go back to work.

The pair have now been taken off duty, with flights left short of staff as they stretched cabin crew services while they are off.

They could now be sacked if they are found guilty of misconduct.

Now five more of the same WhatsApp group are facing scrutiny from the airline company after their behaviour was exposed.

'The poor victim of the merciless fat jokes has been left utterly bereft,' a source told The Sun on Sunday .

'She had no idea her colleagues had such disdain for her. The cruel comments left her scared to leave the house. She felt victimised. This was repugnant bullying.'

They added that the woman had hired a personal trainer and joined a gym in an effort to lose weight in the run up to the abuse.

This is because airline crews need to be within a height and weight range so they can fit in the seats and reach overhead lockers.

They need to have a height of between 2.01m and 1.575m. There is no specific weight requirement, but it has previously been reported that it must be in proportion to their height.

British Airways said: 'We have a zero-tolerance approach to bullying and always fully investigate any allegations brought to our attention.'