Five Oxfordshire businesses been named and shamed by the Government for failing to pay their staff the minimum wage.

They were among 202 firms and businesses named by the Department for Business and Trade who were in breach of National Minimum Wage law.

Companies named ranged from major high street brands, such as Argos, Lloyds Pharmacy, WH Smith and Marks and Spencer, to small businesses and sole traders.

Oasis and Warehouse Limited in Witney, which went into administration on April 15 2020, failed to pay £10,963.70 to 996 workers.

ALG Cognita Limited in Abingdon failed to pay £17,364.51 to 318 workers.

Thomas Commercial Cleaning Limited in Chipping Norton, which is now under new ownership, failed to pay £9,762.56 to six workers.

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Few Inns Limited from Bampton failed to pay £3,756.10 to six workers.

Few Inns has closed permanently.

Oxford United Football Club Limited failed to pay £10,826.74 to 31 workers.

In a statement provided to this newspaper, the U’s revealed that all payments have been made across what was a more than three-year period.

The club statement read: “Following the publication of a report by the Department for Business and Trade, Oxford United can confirm that they worked with HMRC to rectify historic issues regarding the National Minimum Wage.

“These were events from April 6, 2015, to the end of 2018, and the club took on all recommendations, and made all relevant repayments, before the case was closed at the end of 2018.

And The Organic Hair Company Limited in Moreton In Marsh in Gloucestershire failed to pay £3,590.83 to four workers.

Paul Metayer of The Organic Hair Company said: “All apprentices that were underpaid over a period of three years have been reimbursed. This underpayment was due to confusion with HMRC bureaucracy that led to apprenticeship timeframes being misinterpreted.

“We feel this was a real miscarriage of justice.”

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Minister for Enterprise, Markets and Small Business Kevin Hollinrake said: “Paying the legal minimum wage is non-negotiable and all businesses, whatever their size, should know better than to short-change hard-working staff.

“Most businesses do the right thing and look after their employees, but we’re sending a clear message to the minority who ignore the law: pay your staff properly or you’ll face the consequences.”

The businesses named in the list have since paid back what they owe to their staff and have also faced financial penalties.

The investigations by HMRC concluded between 2017 and 2019.

Oasis and Warehouse Limited and ALG Cognita Limited were approached for comment.