Ikea workers have hit out at their bosses after cameras were found spying on them in both male and female toilets.

The CCTV camera was fitted in 2015 but was only found recently when the lights failed at the company’s Peterborough distribution centre and the infrared glow was spotted in a gap of a ceiling panel.

Shannon Bodily, 23, left her customer services job in July but is worried because she was pregnant while working there.

She told Metro.co.uk: ‘We didn’t know which part of the toilets they were viewing us from. Did they see us pull our trousers down?

‘Me and my friend were both pregnant at the time. We’ve had our heads in those toilets (from morning sickness).

‘We feel so vulnerable right now – our independence was taken away from us. We don’t know what footage they have of us and they won’t tell us.’

Shannon said she’s in contact with a solicitor and is planning a meeting over the invasion of her privacy.

Another employee who’s currently on maternity leave said: ‘Last night I was in shock to find out that someone for some reason has been watching us in the toilet.’

Ikea said: ‘In 2015, for the purpose of maintaining a safe workplace for all co-workers, surveillance cameras were installed in the void above the ceilings in the bathrooms and locker areas, and in the corridors outside of these rooms at the Peterborough distribution centre.

‘Investigations into this issue are ongoing and all cameras found have now been removed.

‘We understand the discovery of these cameras may be concerning, and during this time we are offering support to co-workers on-site.’

Staff can ask their employer what information they hold about them and firms have 30 days to provide it.

The Global Data Hub says businesses using CCTV in toilets ‘would be hard to justify under any circumstances’.

CCTV cameras should only be used in ‘exceptional circumstances’ in areas where privacy could be expected, such as in toilets and changing rooms, according to data protection laws.

The charity Privacy International said it was ‘clear’ that the cameras were installed to ‘further control workers in what they are doing, how often and how long they take breaks’.

Senior researcher Eva Blum-Dumontet said: ‘This reality should worry all of us – not just Ikea workers. Indeed, as more of us are working from home or working for platforms like Uber or Deliveroo, we are becoming increasingly exposed to the surveillance of employers who want to ensure we remain productive at all times.’

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