South London arrests for illegal Indian workers

A company based in west London is facing potential fines of up to £170,000 following the arrests of 17 illegal workers of Indian and Sri Lankan origin. The arrests took place following a raid by officers from the UK Border Agency.

The immigration officials targeted the premises of the Only 4U Ltd on the 10th of December acting on intelligence. The operation itself was of an ongoing crackdown against illegal workers in the west of the capital and coincided with a massive advertising campaign that has been warning companies of the large penalties that they may face if they are found to be using illegal foreign labour.

The arrested men, all from Sri Lanka and India and all from 22 years to 49 years of age, were taken under a range of immigration offences. Of the 17, ten were found to be failed asylum seekers that had not returned home. The UK Border Agency is now undertaking steps to remove all of the arrested men from Britain.

The business owners were issued with penalty notices and advised that in accordance with law that they will be fined if they cannot prove that the mandatory pre-employment right-to-work checks were not carried out on the employees. Penalties for employing illegal workers can be up to £10,000 per person hired, meaning a potential bill of £170,000.

A UK Border Agency spokesperson said that the practice of hiring illegal workers impacts on the local community, taking away jobs from legitimate employees. The UKBA will continue to target those who flout the law and more operations are scheduled in the future.