Hundreds of people have been arrested as the government cracks down on illegal working at car washes, nail bars and supermarkets in London.
Nearly 1,000 enforcement visits have been carried out by the Home Office’s Immigration Enforcement team across the capital between July and November.
In that time 996 visits resulted in 770 arrests and 462 premises receiving civil penalty notice referrals. Employers could face a fine of up to £60,000 per worker if found guilty.
During one recent visit to a hotel in Kensington, six agency staff were arrested with five on suspicion of illegal working and one identified as having overstayed their visa.
Minister for border security and asylum, Dame Angela Eagle MP said: ‘Dismantling criminal gangs and restoring order to our asylum system is a key part of our Plan for Change.
‘That’s exactly why we are clamping down on illegal working to prevent this abuse of our immigration system and safeguard those who are sold a false promise about their ability to live and work here.
‘Since the election, arrests and enforcement visits have deliberately increased, demonstrating that we will not tolerate any hiding place from law enforcement.’
The raids had a focus on targeting car washes, nail bars, supermarkets and construction sites which were suspected of hiring illegal workers and subjecting them to squalid conditions and illegal working hours at below minimum wage.
Director of enforcement, compliance and crime at the Home Office’s Immigration Enforcement Eddy Montgomery said: ‘This activity demonstrates our laser focus on holding employers to account and safeguarding those who are made to work in squalid conditions.
‘I am proud of the teams across the country, for their hard work in accelerating this activity in recent months to prevent exploitation and ensure those who break the law face consequences.’
It comes after earlier this month, a top Home Office official has warned Britons using cash-only nail bars, barbers or car washes are ‘feeding the problem’ of illegal migration and could be creating more victims of slavery.
Bas Javid, the director general of immigration enforcement, said that working in the UK’s black economy is a ‘pull factor’ for those coming to the country illegally.
This includes those who make perilous journeys in small boats across the Channel after people-smuggling gangs sell Britain as ‘the land of milk and honey’.
Mr Javid, a former top police officer and the brother of Tory ex-home secretary Sajid Javid, told the Sunday Times: ‘People should recognise they are contributing to it and if they are, they are feeding the problem.
‘Part of our job… has to be to educate the wider public that if you do use illegal car washes or go to illegal nail bars then you are feeding the problem, and at the end of that there are victims.’
Although he said there were legitimate reasons for some businesses to only accept cash, Mr Javid urged customers to ‘look at the conditions and the way that people operate’.
‘I think we’ve got to strike the balance of making sure that people are cognisant and aware that this environment of illegal working activity and exploitation exists,’ he added.
Earlier this year, police busted an Eastern European crime syndicate who smuggled 12 migrants into the UK with the promise of a better life before stealing wages they earned at car washes and other ‘grey economy’ businesses.
One migrant was forced to live in an unheated garage without a roof before being put to work cleaning vehicles for no money, with his captors – who included 47-year-old Czech man Zdenek Drevenak – exploiting his ‘desperation’ not to be deported.
Another case saw a couple force more than 40 Slovakian ‘slaves’ to carry out nearly £1million worth of work for free at their car wash in Southmead, Bristol. Maros Tancos and Joanna Gomulska, both 46, were jailed for a total of 25 years.
Adam Hewitt, from anti-trafficking charity Hope for Justice, described car washes as ‘among the highest risk types of business for modern slavery’.
‘Many of the survivors we are helping right now were exploited at a car wash at some point because they are often low-wage, cash-in-hand operations where most staff do not need to speak to the public,’ he told .
‘This means they can be controlled more effectively. We have seen cases of victims being forced to sleep on-site, working extremely long hours with few if any breaks, and getting paid nothing or maybe just a small handout, or even just some cigarettes or alcohol.’
It is not only car washes that have come under a cloud of suspicion.
‘This is because they are under the control of a trafficker, who keeps them compliant using threats against them or their family, debt obligations, psychological manipulation or other forms of control.
Adam Hewitt, from anti-trafficking charity Hope for Justice, advised drivers to look out for suspicious signs, such as groups of workers all being picked up and dropped off together, especially at unusual times.
He continued: ‘Looks for lights on at businesses at night – could someone be living there?
‘Look out for workers with bruises or who look dishevelled or anxious, or who don’t seem to be allowed to talk for themselves. If it’s so cheap it seems too good to be true, ask yourself why – maybe the staff aren’t actually being paid properly.’
‘That means that a victim will often not think about ”escape” in the way you might expect – they do not feel this is an option for them and sometimes they may even say they are grateful to their trafficker, thinking that something better will come along soon.’
Mr Hewitt advised drivers to look out for suspicious signs, such as groups of workers all being picked up and dropped off together, especially at unusual times.
He continued: ‘Looks for lights on at businesses at night – could someone be living there?
‘Look out for workers with bruises or who look dishevelled or anxious, or who don’t seem to be allowed to talk for themselves. If it’s so cheap it seems too good to be true, ask yourself why – maybe the staff aren’t actually being paid properly.’
Earlier this year, barber shops were accused of being possible fronts for human trafficking across the Channel, drugs and slave labour.
The number of barbers operating in the UK has ballooned in recent years, fuelled by a surge in male grooming.
Detective Superintendent Charlotte Tucker of Wiltshire Police, claimed establishments in London offering ‘really cheap’ £10 haircuts could be a ‘red flag’, potentially highlighting it was being run by a criminal gang.
Meanwhile, in April, a Met Police detective warned of ‘large’ numbers of trafficked women being brought to work in nail bars.
New figures from the Office for National Statistics showed net migration – the difference between the number of people arriving and leaving the country – hit a record 906,000 in 2023.
More than 33,000 illegal migrants have crossed the Channel this year – including more than 20,000 since Sir Keir Starmer has been Prime Minister and already above the 29,437 total for 2023.
According to UK officials, more than 70 people have died attempting to cross the Channel this year.