A CARE service in the Wee County has been named and shamed by the UK Government, after it failed to pay more than £17,500 to its workers.

The Clackmannanshire service of Crossroads Caring Scotland did not give out £17,685.38 to 40 staff close to a year-and-a-half ago and appeared on the list of 360 UK businesses that underpaid more than 15,000 workers a total of nearly £1million, compiled by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.

However, the firm has confirmed it worked closely with HMRC to fix the breach as soon as it was identified.

A spokesperson said: “The incident referred to occurred more than 16 months ago and was the results of an oversight relating to travel time.”

The Advertiser understands all of the 40 staff were working for the Wee County service of the Scotland-wide organisation, which employs 650 people across the country.

The spokesperson added: “As soon as the breach was identified, we worked closely with HMRC to ensure that our workers received the full back-pay that they were entitled to and also to ensure our compliance with this complex legislation in the future.

“As a result, we have put in place processes to ensure that such a breach cannot occur again.

“All of our support workers are now paid the Scottish Living Wage of £8.25, which will increase to £8.45 in April.”

Sending a clear message to employers, the naming and shaming scheme started in October 2013 to crack down on those who ignore the law.

While hundreds of companies find themselves on the list each year, the government never publishes the circumstances surrounding the incidents.