Outraged staff at a tyre factory in Melksham believe their privacy has been breached after one of them found a hidden camera filming him while he was on the toilet.

Cooper Tires, in Bath Road, has launched an internal investigation after the worker ripped the camera out of the ceiling on Sunday after spotting a wire hanging down.

Bosses at the factory, which employs 1,000 people, have been called on to explain why the camera was in the ceiling and what was being done with the footage.

Sarah McRoberts, spokesman for Cooper Tires, said: “The alleged incident is being investigated internally.”

One shift worker at the factory, who did not want to be named, said he received a call from a colleague to tell him what happened.

He said: “We have heard that a worker was in a toilet cubicle, he happened to look up at the ceiling and he noticed a wire hanging out.

“When he pulled the wire, he found a camera. I think the camera was getting a view of at least two of the toilet cubicles.”

The worker said he and his colleagues were mystified as to why the camera had been there but outraged at the thought of their personal privacy being invaded.

“I know that two guys have either put in claims to the company for a breach of their privacy, or they are going to do so imminently, and other men have even been talking about contacting Watchdog, just to get someone in here to do something,” he said.

“If the camera had been in the women’s toilet then you can imagine that the police would be involved and those responsible would end up in prison.

“So why is it any different if the camera was in the men’s. We want to know who put the camera there and what it was for.

“We don’t know if it was to catch people sleeping on shifts or stealing or what. Everyone is furious and when we have asked the union guys here what is going on they just say they don’t know. We feel like it has just been brushed under the carpet so it will go away.”

Another factory worker said colleagues were worried about how long the camera could have been there and if there are any others around.

Wiltshire Police have not been notified about the incident, which could be a criminal offence if it is found the camera was there to film the workers for reasons of voyeurism.

A Unite union steward said: “I am aware of it and we are concerned about the situation.”