A LUXURY spa hotel in Helmsley was among 360 employers in the region named and shamed by the Government for underpaying their staff.

The Feversham Arms Hotel in underpaid 31 members of staff by £19,407.32.

More than 360 employers across the country were named and shamed for underpaying more than 15,500 workers the national minimum or living wage.

The workers have now received back pay following the government investigations.

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.”

She said 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.

Charles Merchie, general manager at the Feversham Arms, one of the region’s worst culprits for underpayment, said: “It was our understanding that we were compliant with the National Minimum Wage law. It was not intentional by any means to disobey this law. As soon as we knew there had been a mistake we corrected this immediately. Furthermore we have now put a robust system in place to ensure this does not happen again.”