Two businesses with a WD postcode have been named and shamed by the government for not paying minimum wage.

The Department for Business and Trade has released a list of more than 200 employers that have failed to pay their lowest paid staff the minimum wage.

The companies have since paid back what they owe to their staff and faced financial penalties after an investigation between 2017 and 2019.

McNicholas Construction Services Limited, based in Elstree, failed to pay the minimum wage to 704 workers, meaning a total of £170,517.57 was owed.

The average arrears per worker was £242.21, owed from between January 2013 and March 2018.

Of the 202 businesses named following the investigation, McNicholas had underpaid workers by the seventh highest total, with WHSmith owing the most followed by Lloyds Pharmacy, Marks and Spencer, and Argos.

All Day Recruitment Limited, based in Rickmansworth, failed to pay £4,896.57 to 25 workers.

The average arrears per worker was £195.86 between April 2016 and January 2017.

Deducting pay from wages, failing to pay workers correctly for their working time, and paying incorrect apprenticeship rates accounted for 99% of the ways the businesses underpaid workers.

The government acknowledged not all minimum wage underpayments are intentional, but added that there is “no excuse for underpaying workers”.

A spokesperson for Kier, the company which now owns McNicholas Construction Services Limited, said: “These practices were carried out by McNicholas Construction before we acquired the company in 2017, however as a responsible business we took action at the time to redress this matter.

“As an accredited Real Living Wage (RLW) employer, we remain committed to providing competitive salaries and excellent benefits for our people.”