The High Street sweatshops: Primark and M&S factories in India 'pay 13p an hour'

Cut-price fashion store Primark and baby specialist Mothercare announced the probes after an investigation into pay and conditions in Bangalore found that factory workers are being paid as little as 13p an hour, and can work up to 48 hours a week.

India's largest ready-made garment exporter Gokaldas Export, which supply several established fashion brands in Britain and the US including Marks & Spencer and H&M, have confirmed that wages paid to workers are as low as £1.13 for a nine-hour day.

Campaigners and union workers say this is insufficient to help workers meet their basic needs and therefore falls below the minimum international labour standards promised by the Ethical Trading Initiative, a code of conduct whose members include Marks & Spencer, Mothercare and Primark.

In a further breach of the code, employees in factories supplying to Gap, Matalan and Primark say they are regularly forced to work overtime of between six and 18 hours a week.

Texport Overseas, which supplies Gap and Matalan, denied that workers were forced to do overtime.

In February, a woman hanged herself in the lavatory of one factory owned by Gokaldas Exports amid claims that she had been sexually harassed and refused permission for leave. Gokaldas denies that she was verbally sexually harassed.

KP Gopinath, the director of Cividep, an Indian workers' rights group, said: "When we speak to the workers they tell us all they want is to be treated like human beings. They need a living wage to live in dignity, to get running water, to get a better education for their children."

A Primark spokesman said that it took the allegations "very seriouslyî and added that immediate audits into supplier premises had begun.

Mothercare also said it took the allegations seriously and would reaudit its two factories in India.

Pressure group Labour Behind The Label has criticised leading high street fashion stores, including Sir Philip Green's Arcadia group, Primark and Matalan for not doing enough to improve the rights of factory workers.

The report's author, Martin Hearson, said: 'We were disappointed by the response we got from several companies. Some have demonstrated little effort in tackling workers' rights issues and they include Arcadia, French Connection, Matalan and Primark."

Campaigners have argued that British retailers must do more to prove that the fall in the cost of clothing has not come at the cost of workers in developing countries.

John Hilary, from War on Want, said: "Exploitation of workers in developing countries such as India is standard practice for British retailers right across the spectrum. This just underlines the urgent need for Goron Brown to step in now and stop these abuses once and for all."