STAFF at one of Oxford’s busiest department stores had to brave the cold for three weeks after a heating system broke down.

Workers at BHS in Queen Street wore fleeces and used portable heaters to keep themselves warm as temperatures dipped to as low as 11°C instore.

Government guidelines recommend the temperature for offices should be 16°C, or at least 13°C if the job involves “severe physical effort.”

A shop source said: “For over three weeks the store was trading without any heating.

“The staff were too scared to complain. It was totally unacceptable and even the customers were complaining to the staff. For a big organisation it was deplorable.”

BHS spokesman Vanessa Afful-Walcott said the problem had been fixed, with the store heated since December 23.

She added: “Unfortunately it took longer than anticipated, but we are happy that this issue is now rectified.”