AMAZON ignored its own rules by hiring thousands of agency workers on zero-hour contracts — which left many struggling to recoup unpaid wages, a major investigation has revealed.

The Bureau of Investigative Journalism (BIJ) uncovered a sordid trail of agency workers left in debt and shifts cancelled without notice, as the online retail giant raked in £20 billion in sales during the Covid pandemic.

Amazon, whose boss Jeff Bezos has personal wealth of £135bn, stood accused of attempting to distance itself from appalling treatment of workers by hiding behind agencies, which hired 20,000 seasonal workers last year.