Owen Smith the Labour leader candidate has requested a parliamentary investigation into the working conditions for staff at an ASOS warehouse.

Mr Smith remarked that he was “concerned” ASOS was "imitating" Sports Direct which was also recently involved in controversy regarding working conditions for shop floor and warehouse staff.

The GMB union has said ASOS staff reported invasive surveillance, random searches and limited toilet breaks at the retailer’s XPO Logistics-run distribution centre near Barnsley.

Writing to the business, innovation and skills committee chairman Iain Wright MP, Mr Smith wrote: "Having met with the GMB, I'm appalled at reports that – among others – staff there are having to face invasive surveillance, limited access to toilet facilities and random searches during lunch breaks. I also understand staff are being employed on what are effectively sub-zero hour contracts, where workers face little to no notice of the hours they're expected to work. And where staff are turning up to work only to be told they've got no allocated hours.”

ASOS commented: "We were surprised to see these allegations from Owen (Smith) given that it was the first we had heard from him and he's never been inside the warehouse. We work incredibly hard with XPO to create a positive, supportive, healthy working environment for the team in Barnsley. As we have now said on the record several times before - we don't do zero hours contracts, people can take toilet and water breaks whenever they want, and we pay above minimum wage."