A LAKE District pub has been ‘named and shamed’ in a government list of companies that failed to pay workers minimum wage.

According to a Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy release- published yesterday- 208 employers were found to have failed to pay their workers a total of £1.2 million, leaving around 12,000 workers out of pocket.

The list states that Mr Edward Johnson, trading as The Kings Arms Hotel, Hawkshead, failed to pay £3,237.18 to five workers.

The arrears are dated between July 4, 2016 and September 15, 2018.

Mr Johnson left the business last month.

The Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy, said that the employers named previously underpaid workers in the following ways:

37 per cent - deductions that reduce minimum wage pay, for example workers out of pocket to comply with the dress code

29 per cent - unpaid working time such as mandatory training, trial shifts or travel time

16 per cent - failing to pay the correct rate to apprentices

11 per cent - not increasing NMW pay in line with government rises, or paying the wrong minimum wage rate, for example paying a 23-year-old the 21-22 year old rate.

And according to the department, the businesses named have since had to pay back what they owe to staff and also face significant financial penalties of up to 200 per cent of what was owed, which are paid to the government. The investigations by Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs concluded between 2014 and 2019.

Minister for Labour Markets Paul Scully said: “We want workers to know that we’re on their side and they must be treated fairly by their employers, which is why paying the legal minimum wage should be non-negotiable for businesses.

“Today’s 208 businesses, whatever their size, should know better than to short-change hard-working employees, regardless of whether it was intentional or not.

“With Christmas fast approaching, it’s more important than ever that cash is not withheld from the pockets of workers. So don’t be a scrooge – pay your staff properly.”

The National Living Wage (NLW) will rise from £8.91 to £9.50 an hour from April 2022.

The Kings Arms Hotel was contacted numerous times for comment.