Penrith car dealership and national DIY chain among firms named over minimum wage breaches

Penrith businesses named in government minimum wage crackdown

A Penrith-based car dealership and national diy chain B&Q are among hundreds of employers across the UK named by the Government after workers were found to have been underpaid.

David Hayton Limited, based in Penrith, was found to have failed to pay one employee the minimum wage, with the shortfall amounting to £1,145.83.

The company was one of a number of Cumbrian employers included in a new Government list published today (Thursday, September 3), naming around 660 employers across the UK who had failed to pay workers the National Minimum Wage.

Also among the national firms with a store in Penrith was DIY giant B&Q.

B&Q was found to have failed to pay £456,934 to 4,530 workers, making it one of the larger cases included in the national list.

However, the company said the underpayments were unintentional and that all affected employees were paid in full in July 2025.

The Government said the employers named had also been issued with penalties, with the total value of penalties across the cases reported to be around £7 million.

The current National Minimum Wage rate for workers aged 21 and over is £12.71 an hour, while the rate is £10.85 for 18 to 20-year-olds and £8 for under-18s and apprentices.

The list is the first published by the Fair Work Agency, which was established in April with responsibility for protecting workers' rights and enforcing employment rights.

Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said employers should understand that paying workers properly was both a legal requirement and good business practice.

He said: “Short-changing your staff isn’t a shortcut to success and we are determined to stamp it out.”

The Government says that since the National Minimum Wage enforcement scheme began in 2011, more than £100 million in penalties have been issued to more than 5,200 employers.

More than £66 million has also been repaid to around 650,000 workers who were found to have been underpaid.

The Government saying the latest action is intended to ensure workers receive the pay they are legally entitled to.