Three illegal workers from Sri Lanka have been arrested following a raid on a garage in Sittingbourne, in UK.

 

Acting on intelligence, officers visited the BP petrol station, St Paul’s Street, at about 7.10pm on Friday where they questioned individuals to check if they had the right to be in the UK.

 

They arrested two men aged 22 and 33 at the garage and a 30-year-old man at an address on High Street, Milton Regis, used for staff accommodation. All three were found to be working in breach of their visa conditions.

 

The men were transferred to immigration detention pending their removal from the UK.

 

The business was served a notice warning that a civil penalty of up to £10,000 per illegal worker will be imposed unless proof is provided that the correct right-to-work checks were carried out. This is a potential fine of up to £30,000.

 

Louise Whiteoak, head of the Home Office immigration enforcement team in Kent and Sussex, said: “Our enforcement teams carry out operations like this almost every day in Kent and those arrested for immigration offences face being detained until they are removed. They also face a ban from returning to the UK.

 

“If you are a business you must carry out the correct checks on your staff or you could end up with a heavy fine.”(Kent News)