A DISCOUNT online retailer from Swindon has been named and shamed by the government for failing to pay one of its staff the minimum wage.

99p Land Ltd, of Kembrey Park, was ruled to have underpaid a worker at a store it used to own by £315.26. It was then ordered to pay by HM Revenue and Customs. The company also had to pay a £75 fine.

The directors at the company, which delivers 99p items, have admitted it was an error on their part but said they are committed to paying a decent wage to its staff.

Yesterday, the government announced the names of 70 companies which failed to pay their staff the legal minimum wage, which stands at £6.50 for anyone older than 21 and £5.13 for those aged between 18 and 20.

But Paul Nicholls, a company director at 99p Land Ltd, said it was down to a mistake rather than an attempt to avoid paying the minimum wage, and it was rectified immediately.

He said: “This relates to a woman who was working with us last year at our Hereford shop, which has now closed.

“She just walked out on us and we thought that was the end of it. The next thing we heard was six months later when HMRC contacted us because she was a salaried worker and we had no record of exactly how much she was owed.

“By this point the manager at the time had also left so there was no way of telling exactly how much she had earned. As it was only £315 we paid it and the £75 fine. We accept this was an error on our part but certainly pay our workers a fair amount.

“We have two youngsters who were long-term unemployed working for us. We could pay them the minimum wage for 18 and 19-year-old but we pay them the adult minimum wage.”

Aggrieved workers can contact HMRC who will investigate all claims.

Naming and shaming companies is a policy which was came into effect in October 2013.

Business Minister Jo Swinson said: “Paying less than the minimum wage is illegal, immoral and completely unacceptable. Naming and shaming gives a clear warning to employers who ignore the rules, that they will face reputational consequences as well as financial penalties of up to £20,000 if they don’t pay the minimum wage.”