According to a recent BBC article, five men arrested in a crackdown on illegal immigration were found to be living and working in a vehicle salvage yard for just £2.50 an hour.
Immigration officials discovered the migrants sleeping in mobile homes and shipping containers at a site in Oldham, Greater Manchester, during a raid. The men, aged between 34 and 50, are expected to be deported to their home countries of Lithuania and Malaysia.
The raid took place at a vehicle salvage yard in the Watersheddings area on Thursday morning (25th July) following intelligence reports that foreign nationals were working there for minimal pay and living in substandard conditions. Bedding, rucksacks, and personal belongings were found on-site, indicating that some migrants had overstayed their tourist visas while others lacked the proper documentation to work in the UK.
Charles Devereux, an inspector for immigration enforcement in northwest England, commented on the situation:
“We’ve encountered several foreign nationals in this raid. The converted cabins and shipping containers are very poor living conditions. It shows what can happen to illegal workers, how open they are to exploitation. Employers will expect the migrants to work unusually long hours and pay them below the minimum wage.”
He emphasised the importance of tackling illegal working to prevent dangerous migration attempts often orchestrated by trafficking gangs and criminal organisations.
Three of the foreign nationals have been detained at one of the UK’s immigration detention centres, pending their removal from the UK, while the other two have been bailed and are expected to leave the country voluntarily. The firm involved could face a fine of up to £100,000.
Source www.bbc.co.uk
