A rising number of people in Cornwall wrongly believe they are not entitled to holiday pay, according to Citizens Advice.

The charity say they have helped 74 people with issues relating to holiday pay between April 2016 and March 2017, which is up from the previous year when they helped 66 workers.

Research has shown that half of people on zero hour contracts, and two-in-five people on temporary contracts, believe they are not entitled to paid holidays.

The research, conducted by citizens advice, also found examples of employers withholding paid holiday from carers working night shifts, workers who didn’t meet their targets, and staff wrongly categorised as self-employed.

The charity now wants to remind people that all workers are entitled to holiday pay, regardless of their type of contract.

Neil Colquhou, Citizens Advice chief executive, said: “Half of people on zero hours contracts, and many on temporary contracts, think they are not entitled to paid holiday.

“There is a lot of confusion and we have seen examples where employees have missed out through a lack of awareness of their rights.

“With more than half of employers having staff working shifts or variable hours, people need to be more aware of their rights over paid holiday.

“Anyone who is unsure of their situation or thinks they are missing out should contact us for help.

“But we also think there is a role for the next government to help people get what they are entitled to by boosting enforcement and reducing the costs of employment tribunals.”

Citizens Advice Cornwall has helped people with various employment issues, and in one case were able to negotiate 50 per cent of a worker’s previous years’ entitlement, and get his whole holiday pay for the current year, even though he’d already left the job.

The charity is now calling on the next government to ensure workers are aware of, and can take, the paid holiday they are entitled to.