Firms apologise for paying illegally low salaries

Several companies who paid their staff thousands below the minimum wage have apologised after the government released a list of firms who had paid penalties.

Among the firms found to be at fault in north-west England, discount supermarket chain B&M Bargains Ltd owed one employee in Liverpool £3,304 over a three months period.

One car trader in Greater Manchester, Roger Irving, failed to pay a worker £34,861 between December 2017 and June 2023.

In Lancashire, Accrington Surgical Instrument Suppliers Ltd, in Hyndburn, failed to pay an employee £3,862 over five months in 2025.

Nationally, the Department for Business & Trade said employers had been told to repay over £7.3 million in wages owed to workers.

It said almost 400 employers, including "well-known brands", are facing consequences of up to £12.6 million in penalties.

The largest unpaid wages were amassed by ISS Mediclean Limited, which failed to pay £1.5million to 6,580 workers.

Other large employers included Busy Bees nurseries, which failed to pay £485,374 to 9,056 workers, and BUPA Care Services, which failed to pay £441,439 to 8,810 workers.

Chorlton-Cum-Hardy based Irving, who owned Chorlton Cars, told the BBC he had paid all fines and had since retired and did not wish to comment further.

Both Accrington Surgical Instrument Suppliers and B&M blamed the error on an administrative oversight and said it had since been rectified.

The Hyndburn-based supplier said a single apprentice employee had been paid but their wages had not been increased in line with a raise in the national minimum wage.

"As soon as this was identified, we corrected the underpayment in full and paid the associated HMRC penalty," the company said.

"This was a genuine clerical error, not a deliberate act. We have since strengthened our payroll processes to ensure ongoing compliance, and there have been no further issues."

B&M, which employs more than 30,000 people, said it "takes our obligations to our employees extremely seriously".

It said it identified a "technical breach" at its store in Speke, Liverpool, that resulted in one employee's pay falling below the national minimum wage.

The firm added: "As soon as this was discovered, we acted swiftly to fully reimburse the individual affected. The practices that led to this issue were immediately stopped and corrected."

From next month, the minimum wage is due to increase again, with workers aged 21 and over due to earn at least £12.71 an hour, 18 to 20-year-olds due to earn at least £10.85 and apprentices and under-18s £8.

Business Secretary Peter Kyle said: "The vast majority of businesses in this country do the right thing by paying their staff properly and playing by the rules.

"It's not fair on them when others are able to get ahead by not paying the wages their workers are owed."

Read more stories from Cheshire, Lancashire, Greater Manchester and Merseyside on the BBC, watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer and follow BBC North West on X.