A HAIRDRESSER is no longer offering extra training to staff after hours after it was reported for not paying for overtime.

Nick Mitchell, who owns Alter Ego in Colchester, found the business featured in a list of the top 260 firms which failed to pay the minimum wage.

The report said staff failed to pay a total of £3,722 to employees.

Mr Mitchell said the problem was rectified straight away, but he was disappointed the business could no longer offer extra support.

He said: “What we have always done is try to give people the best possible chance in succeeding from an apprenticeship to a stylist.

“When they reach that stage we offer them an extra day of training so they can refine their skills.

“It is not compulsory and if they don’t want to do it, we don’t make them.”

There was a report made to HMRC, which told the business it should not have offered the extra flexible training days without paying staff for the extra hours.

Mr Mitchell said: “We rectified everything as soon as we found out, and we also now pay staff for their lunch breaks.”

Primark and Sports Direct were in the top five businesses which were listed as failing to pay staff minimum wage.

Primark in Reading failed to pay £231,973 to 9735 workers. and Sports Direct in Bolsover failed to pay £167,036 to 383 workers.

Primark said it was committed to the National Minimum Wage and has apologised.

Sports Direct said the figures relate to a historical situation at the warehouse.