Dough&Co pizza restaurants in Swindon and Wiltshire 'unlawfully' deducted pay from their employees before closing, it has been ruled. 

A number of former employees at the Dough&Co in Regent Circus, which closed in 2022, and the Dough&Co in Trowbridge which also closed around the same time, took the respective companies that owned them to an employment tribunal. 

The results of which were published in April 2024, revealing that three employees from the Swindon branch, and three from the Trowbridge branch had been awarded compensation.

The awarded amounts totalled £8,478.28 by Employment Judge O’Rourke, in the absence of any representation from the respondents. 

Dough and Co Swindon Ltd was judged to have failed to pay in lieu of notice, arrears of holiday pay and made unlawful deductions from pay when the employment of three staff members was terminated on December 2, when the store abruptly closed. 

Miss Cottle was awarded one week's pay in lieu of notice of £538.46m one week's holiday pay of £538.46, and £515.36 for unlawful deduction of under a week's wages. 

Mr Fernandes was given £185 for both one week's notice and holiday pay and £740 for unlawful deduction of four weeks' pay. 

And Mrs Naik Vas was given three weeks of holiday pay at £1,440, one week for notice of £480 and £192 for two day's worth of deductions. 

And Dough and Co Trowbridge Ltd did exactly the same thing, with Mr Zdeb owed £900 for notice and holiday pay, Miss Kedziorska owed £2159 for notice, holiday pay and deductions and Mr Newman owed £615 for notice, holiday pay and deductions. 

Dough and Co Swindon Ltd has already lost two employment tribunals. 

Tyler Gutteridge took Dough & Co. Swindon Limited to an employment tribunal in Bristol in May 2023 and was awarded £361.54.

Employment Judge Midgley ruled that after the company failed to enter a response, his claims of unpaid annual leave, notice pay and wages were "well-founded and succeed".

In February 2023, former manager Cajie Dias was also successful at a tribunal with Employment Judge Livesey ruling that the company made unauthorised deductions from their wages and failed to pay holiday pay - amounting to a total of £3,599.96. 

But in January of this year, both Mr Gutteridge and Mr Dias claimed that neither had received any compensation.

At one point the chain, founded by Chris Sharman was running 12 restaurants, but only three active restaurants remain on the Dough&Co website, in Sudbury, Halstead and Bury St Edmunds.