PIZZA chain workers have spent weeks out of pocket after thousands of pounds of wages went unpaid.

Employees at the Papa John's in St John's say the previous owner sold the franchise at the start of November, and claim he has failed to pay them for October's wages.

But new owner Muhammad Abid has now stepped in and said he will pay them the money they are owed.

Staff at the Bull Ring takeaway have told the Worcester News around 10 people were affected, and they believe the owner has left the country to start his own business in the Netherlands.

Employee Frank Baker said: "It is about £6,000 of our wages.

"The previous owner basically sold the business and he has just gone.

"We keep ringing him - no one can get hold of him."

Another employee, Hayden Stanyard, said: "He can't be tracked down anywhere. Now all the staff including myself have had to cope with no monthly wage.

"I have to be realistic - I don't think we will ever get the money back."

But, in a fresh twist, a Papa John's spokesman issued a statement late last night saying the new owner will be paying the unpaid wages in full.

The statement said: “Papa John's was disappointed to hear about this issue and the distress caused to the staff members concerned, and we’ve been working closely with Mr Abid, the new franchise owner, to resolve the situation.

"As a gesture of goodwill, Mr Abid has agreed to pay the full amount of wages owed to all staff members at the Worcester store.”

Mr Abid said: "I am delighted to have the opportunity to operate Papa John's in Worcester and was really sorry to hear that the staff had been badly impacted by the failure of the previous owner.

"I think it proper that I take care of the people who I hope will be taking care of my customers in the months to come.”

Temporary manager Hassan Mushtaq added: "We took over here this week. This is a new beginning, the previous management has gone.

"We don't want to lose the staff."

It is not the first time the St John's takeaway has attracted controversy.

In 2014 staff with placards held a protest outside the takeaway, claiming they hadn't been paid.