The company that operates retailer Penneys has asked a girl who found the words 'forced to work' sewn inside a dress she bought in their Swansea store to return the dress. Rebecca Gallagher found the message stitched into her stg£10 dress in Wales.

The company says it takes the allegations made by the customer very seriously.

The retail chain says the dress has been on sale since 2013 and they want to fully investigate how the label became attached and whether there are issues which need to be looked into.

Primark has said that they are committed to ensuring that their factories are safe and fair for their workers.

In a statement, the company says "Our Code of Conduct states that suppliers and factories must ensure products are made in good working conditions, and that the people making them are treated decently and paid a fair wage".

"We inspect each factory to ensure it is meeting the Code and support it by providing guidance and training when issues are identified and are a member of the Ethical Trade Initiative" it adds.

A spokesperson for the retailer has also said "We find it very strange that this has come to light so recently, given that the dress was on sale more than a year ago".

Primark operates Penneys in Ireland. It says no other incidents of this kind have been reported.

Clean Clothes Campaign Ireland works in 16 countries to improve working conditions for garment workers.

Kate Nolan is from that group and says while Penneys recent track record is good in this area, more needs to be done.