About 1,500 large British companies have broken the law by failing to report their gender pay gap in time and could now face legal action, the equality watchdog has said.

Companies have been given 28 days to report their gender pay gap and those that fail to do so will be “named and shamed”, face court action and unlimited fines...

Analysis of the 10,014 employers who submitted data in time revealed that almost eight out of 10 pay men more than women. There was no sector that paid women more than men on average. The data showed that women were being paid a median hourly rate that, on average, was 9.7% less than that given their male colleagues.

“Reporting gender pay gaps is not optional; it is a legal requirement, as well as being the right thing to do,” said Rebecca Hilsenrath, chief executive of the Equality and Human Rights Commission. “We will soon be starting enforcement against all employers that haven’t published.”