HIGH street stores of multimillion-pound businesses were among almost 50 minimum wage cheats named and shamed by the government yesterday.

The Department of Business, Innovation and Skills listed 48 stores who have failed to pay the minimum wage of £6.50 an hour.

The employers, who owe £162,000 in arrears and face £67,000 in penalties, include fashion chain French Connection, Freedom Sportsline (trading as Foot Locker), hairdressers Toni and Guy, and the 99p Store.

French Connection did not pay £16,436.05 to 367 workers, Foot Locker owes £16,718.25 to 601 workers and one 99p store in Northampton robbed £633.39 from 11 workers.

It takes the total number of companies named and shamed to 210, with total arrears of over £635,000 and total penalties of over £248,000.

Lib Dem Business Minister Jo Swinson boasted that the government is “protecting workers by cracking down on employers who ignore minimum-wage rules.”

But the TUC said many more inspectors were needed to wipe out wage cheats.

General secretary Frances O’Grady said: “It’s great to see more cheapskate bosses brought to justice for not paying the minimum wage.

“It’s a constant battle though, and despite the growing list of those named and shamed there are many other employers still getting away with it.

“The government should invest in more inspectors so that every single minimum wage cheat is caught.”

The national figures came as GMB and Newham Council released the results of a joint study into non-payment of the minimum wage.

The research found that locally almost 20 per cent of workers in Newham were being paid less than the minimum wage, and that on average each worker was owed more than £2,200 — and that nationwide underpaid workers are collectively owed more than £500 million.

GMB general secretary Paul Kenny said: “Centralised enforcement is weak and currently fails to protect the lowest paid and most vulnerable. That is why Newham’s proposals for local authorities to be able to investigate and in turn prosecute employers who exploit their workers must be implemented immediately.”