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Three Liverpool businesses fined £20,000 for illegal workers
12 October 2012
Three Liverpool restaurants have been fined a total of £20,000 in civil penalties for employing illegal workers, details recently published by the UK Border Agency show.
As part of the ongoing crackdown into illegal working, the takeaways and restaurants were visited during January 2012.
All the premises including Hot Wok on Langham Street, Khan's Kebab House on Walton Vale and Sabia Thai Restaurant on North John Street were visited earlier this year and issued with potential fine notices for employing illegal workers.
They were then given an opportunity to prove that the correct right-to-work checks were made before the workers were taken on.
They failed to do so and have now been handed fines of £10,000 for Hot Wok, £5,000 for Khan's Kebab House and £5,000 for Sabai Thai Restaurant.
Rob Whiteman, chief executive, UK Border Agency said:
'Our officers are carrying out operations throughout Liverpool to target unscrupulous employers who hire illegal workers thereby undercutting wages and potentially exploiting vulnerable workers.
'The UK Border Agency is happy to work with businesses and advise what checks need to be carried out on staff, but those who do break the law should know that they will face heavy fines like these businesses.
'Tip-offs from the public can be a vital part of our operations, and our new national allegations database which was recently introduced will help ensure we make the most of every piece of information we're given. Anyone with information on suspected immigrations offenders should contact us or call Crimestoppers.'
Employers unsure of the steps they need to take to avoid employing illegal workers can visit the Preventing illegal working section, or they can call the UK Border Agency's Employers Helpline on 0300 123 4699.
Anyone with information about suspected immigration abuse can contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 anonymously or complete the Report immigration crime form.