The National Audit Office warned 9% of employees had been asked to work while on furlough – which wasn’t allowed – while a fraud hotline received 10,000 reports

The National Audit Office said the speed at which the Job Retention Scheme was launched risked there being “considerable levels of fraud and error.”

The Whitehall spending watchdog found 9% of employees said they had been asked to work while they were on furlough, which is against the rules.

The report adds to fears of widespread fraud and abuse of government schemes that were designed to help workers and firms survive the pandemic.

A separate NAO report earlier this month warned up to £26billion could be lost in the Bounce Back Loan scheme fir for businesses through fraud and inability to repay.