The number of offences from July to December 2022 was up by 32% from 13,604 in the previous period.

'The increase in enforcement actions reflected the large numbers of employers due to redeclare in that period, which represented an increase of 106% on the previous period,' according to The Pension Regulator report. 'The rate of enforcement activity is proportionate and consistent with that in the two previous years.'

At the same time, the regulator issued 18,897 fixed penalty notices compared to 15,302 in the previous six-month period.

The rise in regulatory sanctions is primarily due to large numbers of businesses being required to re-enrol staff into pensions.