Two women have been named by the government for failing to pay the national minimum wage to employees.

Susan Meheux and Miss J Smart are among those who failed to pay their workers the legal amount, the newly released list revealed.

Ms Meheux is the owner of cleaning service Domestic Darlings in Southampton.

The Hamble-based business owner failed to pay £2,008.66 to 12 workers.

She told the Echo she was contacted by HMRC in May 2020 regarding the payments, and the situation was quickly rectified.

Ms Meheux said: "Upon being informed by the HMRC, all employees affected were informed and any payment owed was paid.

"We consider ourselves to be a fair and good employer and above all value our employees without whom the business would not function. 

"No employees raised any complaints, those affected employees remain working for our business.

"As a company we have taken responsibility upon notification and rectified the matter.

"The HMRC has confirmed this matter was resolved several years ago."

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Meanwhile, Miss J J Smart, whose first name is not listed, failed to pay £5,778.65 to one worker. She is based in the Warsash, Hamble, Locks Heath or Netley Abbey area, according to the government listing.

Baroness Philippa Stroud, Chair of the Low Pay Commission, said underpayment leaves workers out of pocket and “disadvantages the majority of employers who do abide by the rules.”

She added: “These naming rounds play an important part in ensuring that all workers receive their full wages and that they are aware there is support for them to ensure that they do.

Employers across the country were investigated by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) for breaches between 2015 and 2022 as nearly 60,000 workers across the UK were left out of pocket.

Now, £7.4million has been put back in working people’s pockets.

Minister for Employment Rights, Justin Madders said: "There is no excuse for employers to undercut their workers, and we will continue to name companies who break the law and don’t pay their employees what they are owed."