Ashcroft Employment Services Ltd has had its gangmasters licence revoked, without immediate effect, by the Gangmasters Licensing Authority (GLA).

The revocation last week allows the labour provider to continue supplying workers for 20 days, by which time it must appeal or stop trading in GLA-regulated sectors.

If Ashcrofts does appeal against the decision, it is allowed to continue trading until the appeal has been heard.

The decision follows an ongoing GLA investigation, underway since the beginning of the year, that identified numerous non-compliances of Ashcrofts, and a Devon & Cornwall Police investigation in Devon, when a number of workers were injured in a minibus accident that caused one woman to have her leg amputated and her son to lose the sight in one eye.

The incident led to an ITV West exposé on the Bite Back programme into the company, and journalists worked closely with the GLA, which in turn worked with Devon & Cornwall Police.

Between them, they brought the actions and allegations against Ashcrofts into the public domain.

“It is important that labour providers realise that getting a licence is not the end of the story,” said GLA chairman Paul Whitehouse. “To keep that licence, they have to demonstrate continuing compliance.

“And if the GLA receives intelligence suggesting that labour providers are no longer compliant, or that principals in the business are no longer fit or proper to hold a licence, they are likely to be inspected and to have their licence revoked.

“But this action should serve as a warning to licence holders that they need to keep standards up.”