Immigration officers arrest 10 at sandwich factory

Ten illegal workers have been arrested after a UK Border Agency raid on a sandwich factory in Milton Keynes.

Acting on intelligence, immigration officers arrived at Buckingham Foods in Redmoor at around 9am on Thursday, questioning everyone inside and checking their documents to see if they were entitled to work.

A total of ten agency workers were arrested, nine men and one woman, all aged between 22 and 45.

They came from Ghana, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, India and Pakistan, and all now face removal from the country.

Nine remain in immigration detention or police custody, while one has been granted bail.

Three were also charged on suspicion of forgery offences.

Gareth Redmond, the UK Border Agency's Thames Valley Director said: "We’re committed to removing people who have no right to be or work in the UK, and we’re working closely with other agencies and local authorities to do that.



"The vast majority of companies are law abiding, and we’re happy to work with businesses to ensure the right checks are done on staff.

"But those who do break the law will face action."

All ten people were employed by Barker Ross Recruitment, who will now face a fine if they can not prove to the UK Border Agency that they carried out the correct right to work checks.

Civil penalties for businesses who fail to carry out the proper checks when employing migrant workers from outside Europe were introduced by the Government in February 2008, allowing fines of up to £10,000 per illegal employee.

Employers unsure of the steps they need to take to avoid employing illegal workers can visit www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/employers or call the UK Border Agency Employers Helpline on 0845 010 6677.