Home Office target car washes in Wales over illegal employment as firms face fines of £60k

• ITV Cymru Wales correspondent Dean Thomas-Welch reports.

Raids by immigration officials on businesses suspected of using illegal workers across south Wales has led to more than 30 arrests.

ITV Wales was given exclusive access to the operation carried out by Home Office Immigration Compliance and Enforcement officers who targeted a number of car washes, vape shops and restaurants during a week-long crackdown.

During this week, across Wales and the west of England, ICE officers raided 50 businesses, making 35 arrests, with 22 civil penalties handed out.

In the last quarter of last year, more than £200,000 worth of fines were handed out to business owners in Wales who were employing illegal workers.

Officers told us that car washes, vape shops, nail bars and restaurants are the types of businesses where the most illegal employment takes place.

Business caught employing people with no right to work in the UK can faces fines up to £60,000.

One officer told us: "This is something we're looking to clamp down on.

"Particularly in terms of car washes, we've found recently an awful lot of illegal employment, a lot of exploitation, so that's something we're going to look at.

"We'll look to speak to all of the workers. Part of it is making sure that they're okay, it's not just about the illegal workers, it's about making sure they're not being exploited, abused in any way.

"We'll do some checks to confirm what their status is, whether they've got permission to work.

"If they've not got permission to work, then they may well be arrested.

"In terms of the company, if we do find illegal workers there, they can be fined up to £45,000 if it's the first time, and £60,000 if it's the second time they've been caught with illegal workers."

Illegal employment is damaging to the worker, the company and our economy, and the message from these immigration officers to companies in Wales breaking the rules is: they will catch up with you.

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