The owners, charged with failing to pay the NMW and failing to keep adequate pay records, must now pay two of their former employees more than £11,000 in compensation.

A spokesman for HM Revenue & Customs said that the prosecution sent a message to employers large and small about the consequences of failing to pay the NMW. The current NMW for workers aged 22 and above is £5.52 per hour. For 18-21 year-olds it is £4.60 an hour and for 16-17 year olds it is £3.40 an hour.