Named and Shamed: Thirteen Teesside and County Durham Employers Failed to Pay Minimum Wage..
- 10 hours ago
- 3 min read
Thirteen Teesside and County Durham Employers Named for Failing to Pay Minimum Wage as Workers Short-Changed by More Than £53,000
3rd September 2026
Thirteen employers across Middlesbrough, Stockton-on-Tees and County Durham have been named by the Government for failing to pay workers the legal minimum wage — with hundreds of employees affected.
The Government published its latest National Minimum Wage naming round on 3 September, identifying 658 employers across the UK which had failed to pay staff what they were legally entitled to.
Nationally, around £4 million has been returned to more than 27,000 workers, while employers responsible for the breaches have faced penalties totalling approximately £7 million.
An analysis by the Teesside & Durham Post of the Government’s list identified 13 employers connected to Middlesbrough, Stockton-on-Tees and the County Durham council area. Between them, the employers were recorded as having underpaid 469 workers by a combined £53,327.04.
Stockton employers account for almost £25,000
Stockton-on-Tees recorded the largest number jointly with Middlesbrough, with five employers identified. The largest local case involving Victa DP Ltd, trading as Domino’s, which was listed at Wynyard and was found to have failed to pay £16,031.07 to 312 workers.
Companies House records show Victa DP Ltd’s registered office at Unit 10, Evolution Wynyard Business Park, TS22 5TB, a postcode falling within Stockton-on-Tees.
The other Stockton-area employers were:
Mr Jonathan Horsman, trading as Designer Crates and Cages, Stockton-on-Tees — £4,784.94 owed to one worker.
Autoplus (UK) Limited, Stockton-on-Tees — £2,231.06 affecting three workers.
A Vita Limited, Yarm — £994.90 affecting three workers.
Bel Viso Limited, Stockton — £619.69 affecting one worker.
Together, the five Stockton-area employers were responsible for recorded underpayments of £24,661.66 affecting 320 workers.
More than £20,000 underpaid in Middlesbrough
Five employers were also identified in the Middlesbrough area, with combined underpayments of £20,608.89 affecting 137 workers. By far the largest was Hand 2 Hold Limited, which the Government says failed to pay £12,607.23 to 119 workers.
It was followed by The Priory Day Nursery Limited, listed by the Government under the spelling “Middlesborough”, which failed to pay £5,738.59 to one worker. Three further Middlesbrough employers appear towards the lower end of the national list.
Milligans Middlesbrough Limited failed to pay £997.31 to 15 workers, while Boro Protect Security Ltd failed to pay £670.88 to one worker.
D&D Contract Cleaning Ltd, meanwhile, was found to have underpaid one worker by £594.88.
Three County Durham businesses named
Within the Durham County Council area, all three employers identified in our analysis are based in or around Stanley, with Beamish Park Golf Club Limited recording the largest County Durham underpayment, with the Government saying it failed to pay £4,298.64 to one worker.
PVR & Co Ltd, trading as Premier – Tantobie Stores, was found to have underpaid two workers by a combined £2,938.96 And Il Cancello Italian Ltd, also listed at Stanley, failed to pay £818.89 to nine workers. That brings the County Durham total to £8,056.49 across 12 workers.
Government warns employers to check their payroll
The latest figures come as enforcement of employment rights increasingly moves under the newly established Fair Work Agency, which began operating earlier this year. The Government says HM Revenue and Customs continues to enforce minimum-wage legislation on behalf of the agency and investigates complaints made by workers.
The National Living Wage for workers aged 21 and over increased to £12.71 an hour from April 2026, while those aged 18 to 20 are entitled to at least £10.85. The under-18 and apprentice rate currently stands at £8 an hour.
The Government has warned that paying the minimum wage is a legal requirement rather than an optional extra, with workers who believe they are being underpaid encouraged to report their concerns.
