US fashion giant Gap has withdrawn clothes from its GapKids range that were allegedly made by child labourers in India.

An investigation by The Observer found that children as young as 10 were making garments for the retailer in slavish conditions at a factory.

Following the claims, the retailer said it has sent letters to 2,000 suppliers to ask for a meeting to reinforce its manufacturing policies.

Gap spokesman Dan Henkle said: "We were made aware earlier this week that a reporter had found an incident of children working in a factory that was producing for one of our brands and this is completely unacceptable to us.

"We have a strict prohibition on child labour and we are taking this very seriously. This is very upsetting and we intend to investigate thoroughly."

He added that Gap had ended trading with 23 factories in 2006, when they violated its codes of conduct.

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