A PORTLAND care company and a Bridport hairdressers have both been ‘named and shamed’ for failing to pay a member of staff the minimum wage.

The companies between them them failed to pay £1,400 to the two workers.

Heather Dakin, trading as Chantelle, based in Bridport, failed to pay £828.69 to one worker while Pauline Daniels, trading as AAI Care on Portland, failed to pay £622.37.

Chantelle is a hairdressers on South Street while AAI Care offers homecare services throughout Dorset and is based in Southwell.

The two companies have been named by the Government on its largest ever list of national minimum and living wage offenders.

The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has named 360 businesses around the country who underpaid 15,250 workers a total of £995,233.

The department said employers in hairdressing, hospitality and retail sectors were the most prolific offenders. Coming top of the list for the amount of money owed to staff, was retailer Debenhams, which failed to pay £134,894.83 to 11,858 workers.

As well as recovering arrears for some of the UK’s lowest paid workers, HMRC issued penalties worth around £800,000.

For the first time, the naming list includes employers who failed to pay eligible workers at least the new National Living Wage rate, which is currently £7.20 for workers aged 25 and over.

Business Minister, Margot James, said: “Every worker in the UK is entitled to at least the national minimum or living wage and this government will ensure they get it.

“That is why we have named and shamed more than 350 employers who failed to pay the legal minimum, sending the clear message to employers that minimum wage abuses will not go unpunished.

“Excuses for underpaying workers included using tips to top up pay, docking workers’ wages to pay for their Christmas party and making staff pay for their own uniforms out of their salary.”

The naming and shaming scheme was introduced in October 2013 and revised to make it simpler to name and shame employers who failed to comply with minimum wage rules.

Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Rt Hon James Brokenshire MP said: “The National Living and Minimum Wage, which every worker is entitled to, is an essential part of building the higher wage, lower welfare, lower tax society that the UK needs.

“Thanks to government investigations more than 15 and a half thousand of the UK’s lowest paid workers are to be back paid as we continue to build a Northern Ireland, and wider United Kingdom, that works for everyone.”

Mrs Daniels was not available when contacted by the Dorset Echo for a comment. The Echo was also not able to contact Mrs Dakin for a comment.