Eight Cumbrian Firms Named After Workers Were Underpaid National Minimum Wage

Eight businesses across Cumbria have been named among hundreds of employers found to have underpaid workers the National Minimum Wage, with the Government publishing details as part of a renewed effort to hold employers accountable for breaches of pay legislation.

A total of 658 employers appear on the latest national list, which has been released as the Government strengthens enforcement of minimum wage rules and commits to publishing regular details of businesses found to have failed to meet their legal obligations.

The eight Cumbrian businesses named on the list are based across Carlisle, Keswick, Ambleside, Wetheral, Penrith and Cockermouth, covering a range of sectors including hospitality, childcare, retail related services and consultancy.

Carlisle Window Systems Limited, based in Carlisle, was found to have failed to pay £5,242.23 to 23 workers. The amount represents the largest recorded shortfall among the eight Cumbrian businesses named.

Mr James W Benson, trading as Mr JW Benson in Keswick, was found to have underpaid one worker by £4,365. The business was included in the Government's published list alongside the other Cumbrian employers.

Rothay Manor Limited, trading as Rothay Manor Hotel in Ambleside, was found to have failed to pay £4,016.75 to eight workers. The hotel business was among the employers identified through the national enforcement process.

The Crown Hotel (Wetheral) Limited, trading as Crown Hotel Wetheral, was also named. The business was found to have underpaid four workers by a combined total of £3,122.08.

Stone Eden Nursery School Limited in Carlisle was found to have failed to pay £1,469.94 to 14 workers. The figures show that the number of affected employees varied considerably between the Cumbrian businesses listed.

David Hayton Limited in Penrith was found to have underpaid one worker by £1,145.83. The business was one of the employers included in the nationwide publication of minimum wage breaches.

The Court Hotel Group Ltd, trading as Allerdale Court Hotel in Cockermouth, was found to have failed to pay £1,120.28 to one worker. Kieser Consultancy Limited in Carlisle was also named after failing to pay £617.20 to one worker.

Across the country, B&Q was the largest employer identified on the list, having been reported to have failed to pay £456,934 to 4,530 workers. The company said the shortfall was unintentional and that all affected staff had been paid in full by July 2025.

The Government said the employers on the national list have also been issued penalties, with fines totalling £7 million. In addition, around £4 million has been returned directly to more than 27,000 workers who had been denied wages they were legally owed.

The latest enforcement action is the first list issued by the Fair Work Agency since the organisation was established in April. The agency has been created to strengthen the protection of workers' rights and enforcement of employment protections.

The current National Living Wage for workers aged 21 and over is £12.71 an hour. The minimum rate for workers aged 18 to 20 is £10.85, while the rate for workers under 18 and eligible apprentices is £8 an hour. These rates came into effect on April 1, 2026.

Employers are legally required to pay workers at least the applicable minimum wage, with the correct rate depending on age and, in some cases, apprenticeship status. Government guidance also warns that deductions and unpaid working time can result in workers being paid below the legal threshold even where their headline wage appears to meet the required rate.

The Government's publication of the employers is intended to reinforce compliance and make clear that businesses are expected to meet their statutory responsibilities towards staff. Employers that discover they have underpaid workers are required to pay the arrears owed.

The Cumbrian cases form part of a much wider national enforcement programme covering employers across different industries and parts of the UK. The publication provides details of the businesses involved and the amounts identified as having been underpaid.

The Government said the latest action demonstrates its commitment to ensuring workers receive the wages they are legally entitled to and to taking enforcement action where employers fail to meet minimum wage requirements.

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