AN UNDER-FIRE care provider left staff out of pocket when a payroll error left workers underpaid.

An "administrative error" led to some Carewatch staff not not receiving the correct wages with one worker claiming he had been paid £200 instead of the £1,000 she was owed.

It prompted fears that carers would struggle to visit patients today unless they are paid in full, because they rely on their wage to buy petrol.

Company bosses blamed an "unfortunate human administrative error" but refused to disclose how many were affected.

The wages were paid in full by Thursday night.

Carewatch serves hundreds of people around Chandler's Ford, Eastleigh and Southampton.

It marks fresh controversy for the company after its Hampshire South branch was rapped by inspectors last year for failings including leaving vulnerable clients in their own filth.

Employee Amanda Thompson threatened to quit over the pay problems, which she described as the "last straw".

She said: "It's appalling, absolutely disgusting.

"I phoned HR this morning to ask 'where's my money?' They couldn't answer. They said 'there's been a glitch'.

"These women are going spare because they've got direct debits, they've got to put fuel in their car to go out and meet clients and they're not getting anything back."

The issues came a fortnight after staff were given new smartphones to log their hours.

Workers use a special app to 'swipe' in and out of visits, allowing bosses to monitor the time spent with clients.

Ms Thompson said the in-built time restrictions were adding pressure to the job and suggested technical problems may have contributed to the pay issues.

Denying this was the case, Carewatch said last night: "We regret that on Wednesday June 29, a number of our staff at Chandler’s Ford received pay for some of, but not all, the hours they had worked.

"This was the result of an unfortunate human administrative error."

Carewatch Hampshire South was taken out of special measures by the CQC in May after a fresh inspection found "significant progress". Its rating has been upgraded from 'inadequate' to 'requires improvement', with inspectors finding it was still unsafe.

Hampshire County Council resisted calls to ditch the firm last year following the 'inadequate' rating including from Peter Merritt, whose wife Sarah worked for the firm and was murdered as she made a routine call to one of the women she was caring for in 2007.

Carewatch Southampton, which operates from the Chandler's Ford office affected by the pay error, has not been inspected since a recent merger, but its predecessor passed a review in 2013.