Illegal worker raid at Chester construction site

Construction workers

TWENTY illegal workers have been arrested after being found working on a construction site near Chester.
Immigration officers arrested the men, aged between 25 and 50, for working on the job without visas, after swooping on the site at a power station at Capenhurst.
The raid was carried out with the cooperation of the construction company working on the site as the illegal workers were all employed by civils subcontractor Sword Construction.
The North Lincolnshire civil engineering contractor has been served a notice warning that financial penalties of up to £20,000 per illegal worker arrested will be imposed unless the employer can demonstrate that appropriate right to work document checks were carried out, such as seeing a passport or Home Office document. If proof is not provided, the company could be liable for up to £400,000.
Karen McDonough, of the Merseyside Home Office Immigration Enforcement team, said: “Our specialist teams carry out regular operations in Cheshire and anyone who is in the UK illegally faces arrest, detention and removal from the country.
“Illegal working defrauds the taxpayer, undercuts honest businesses and cheats legitimate job seekers out of employment opportunities.
“We rely on information from the public and I would urge people to report suspected immigration abuse to us.”

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