Claims by Channel 4 news that Romanian workers were being exploited at a fruit farm have been denied.

There are hundreds of workers at Nickle Farm in Chartham, near Canterbury, who pack one in four of apples bought at Britain’s top supermarkets.

An undercover Channel 4 reporter took a job with Chartham-based employment agency Pro-Force, who have 370 workers at the site, and secretly filmed packers working under pressure.

With strict targets and under the constant gaze of managers, it was claimed the workers are expected to pack five bags of apples a minute.

A boss is seen discouraging breaks and workers are told they will be sent home if they complain.

Footage showed squalid living conditions said to be endured by employees living at a site on the farm, where caravans were said to have filthy toilets, blackened sinks, sodden carpets and mould-infested walls.

One couple told film makers that when they entered their caravan it smelled like a corpse. Caravans were also described as “like a ghetto” and “not fit for humans”.

But in the wake of the broadcast Pro-Force has rebuffed the allegations and hit back at Channel 4 accusing the news programme of misrepresentation.

Matthew Jarrett, Pro-Force’s managing director, said his firm upheld best practice, had passed stringent independent audits and was scrutinised by organisations like the Gangmasters Licensing Authority and Health and Safety Executive.

He said that he was “very disappointed” Channel 4 news had broadcast the allegations of wrongdoing, despite being given evidence that the claims were unfounded and from unreliable sources.

Mr Jarrett added that the scenes purporting to show poor living conditions were a compilation of images, including some taken from a disused caravan that had been broken into, as well as close-up views of a couple of damp patches that are common when vents are closed – “in an otherwise clean and tidy caravan”.

The boss said he would be reviewing how staff were communicated with, but claimed that the majority of workers were happy to return to Pro-Force.

He said: “Channel 4 News has not shown the typical experiences of our workers, 70% of whom are returnees, coming back to us year after year. That is a clear testament to our dedication to high welfare standards.”

In the aftermath of the report Waitrose, Sainsbury’s and Marks and Spencer, all launched investigations – and Aldi has suspended its orders from the farm, which is owned by F W Mansfield.

Paul Mansfield, who runs the farm, was contacted for a comment but has not responded.

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