Burnley MP Antony Higginbotham says allegations of poor working conditions at Boohoo in Burnley are 'extremely concerning'

The MP was reacting to news which emerged this week when an undercover reporter from The Times newspaper reveaeled staff at the huge online fashion warehouse in Widow Hill Road had to walk for miles during the day in hot conditions, and felt they were treated like slaves.

It is not the first controversy to hit Burnley’s biggest private employer, which has been accused of denying union representation in the past as well as similar working conditons complaints.

Mr Higginbotham said: “This is extremely concerning, and I will be raising the issue with Boohoo directly.

“I want good quality jobs in Burnley and that means employers, especially on the scale of Boohoo, treating their staff with the respect they deserve in a safe working environment.

“The reports of working practices inside of their warehouse falls way short of what any of us would expect from a local employer. And that’s exactly what I will be speaking with them about.

“We need to be moving to a high wage, high skill economy. Given the size of Boohoo’s presence in Burnley they need to play their part in that.”

The journalist spent a month working undercover at the site, but Boohoo responded by saying it does not believe “the picture painted is reflective” of the conditions at its Burnley warehouse.

It is not the first time Boohoo has been accused of treating its workers poorly. The company was the subject of a Channel Four Dispatches documentary in 2017.