The CEO of Oxfam visited Beaconsfield just days before shocking details of a sex scandal involving some of the charity’s aid workers emerged.

The global aid charity is accused of covering up the findings of an inquiry into claims staff used prostitutes while delivering aid in Haiti in 2011.

Days before details of the scandal were made public, Oxfam chief executive, Mark Goldring, visited an Oxfam store in Station Road, Beaconsfield, to honour long-standing volunteers who work at the charity shop.

The CEO posed for pictures, chatted with staff and awarded certificates to the shop’s volunteers on Thursday afternoon.

Days later, Oxfam issued an "unreserved apology" to the Government, donors, supporters and the people of Haiti over its handling of sex allegations, including the use of prostitutes by workers in Haiti in 2011.

Mr Goldring said he would not stand down from the role he has held since 2013 unless the charity's board told him they had lost faith in his leadership.

The charity watchdog is now set to begin its inquiry into Oxfam.

The Charity Commission’s deputy chief executive David Holdsworth said: "Charities and dedicated, hard-working aid workers undertake vital, lifesaving work in some of the most difficult circumstances across the world.

"However, the issues revealed in recent days are shocking and unacceptable. It is important that we take this urgent step to ensure that these matters can be dealt with fully and robustly."

Helen Evans, Oxfam's former global head of safeguarding, told Channel 4 News she begged senior staff, ministers and the regulator to act about the sexual abuse allegations.

Ms Evans detailed three new allegations made against Oxfam staff overseas in a single day.

She said: "There was one of a woman being coerced to have sex in a humanitarian response by another aid worker, another case where a woman had been coerced in exchange for aid and another one where it had come to our attention where a member of staff had been struck off for sexual abuse and hadn't disclosed that, and we were then concerned about what he might be doing, and that was three allegations in one day."

Mr Goldring apologised to Ms Evans over the way her concerns were handled.

He told Channel 4 News: "I certainly apologise for not acting fast enough, I think we did take them seriously and we responded on many different fronts - the records checking was one of them, training was another, the promotion of the helpline was another - she did some great work.

"What I recognise now, with the severity of issues as they have emerged, is that we should have resourced that team up faster as we now have, indeed, done."

He said he would not resign as he was not in the post in 2011, and added: "But if our board turn round and say 'actually you are not the right person to lead forward' then I of course would resign immediately."