Croydon businesses have been named and shamed after being slapped with eye-watering illegal worker fines totalling to £300,000.
Five businesses and one individual across Croydon and Thornton Heath were hit with hefty penalties, with one receiving a whopping £80,000 bill. The sanctions were handed out to places that had employed people who were not legally allowed to work in the UK.
Hamed Shahabuddin, associated with Pitches 61, 62 and 63 at the Surrey Street Market, received the biggest penalty on the local list at £80,000.
Ayana Investments Ltd, associated with Sam’s Chicken at 48 High Street, received a £40,000 penalty.
READ MORE: Croydon trams won't run for TWO WEEKS as residents warned of noise
Burger London Ltd, listed at 46 Nova Road, was fined £45,000.
Green Bistro Ltd, based at Coombe Wood in Conduit Lane, was slapped with a £55,000 penalty.
MS Darbar Hyderabadi Ltd, associated with M.S Darbar Hyderabadi at 106 Bensham Lane in Thornton Heath, was also hit with a £40,000 fine.
Together, the five businesses and one individual faced penalties totalling a staggering £300,000.
The fines form part of the government’s crackdown on illegal working and employers who fail to ensure their staff have the right to work in the UK.
Employers can face hefty financial penalties if they employ someone without the legal right to work and fail to carry out the correct right-to-work checks.
Businesses can be hit with civil penalties of up to £60,000 for each worker found to be working illegally.
Employers face even more serious consequences if they knowingly hire someone without the legal right to work, or have “reasonable cause to believe” they are doing so.
This includes cases where an employer has reason to believe a worker does not have permission to enter or remain in the UK, their permission has expired, they are not allowed to carry out certain types of work, or their documents are incorrect or false.
Those found guilty of knowingly employing someone illegally can face up to five years behind bars and an unlimited fine.
Employers can avoid a civil penalty if they can demonstrate they carried out the correct right-to-work checks.
Immigration Enforcement can also publicly name businesses found liable for penalties as a warning to other employers.
The Home Office publishes details of illegal working penalties as part of its efforts to crack down on businesses employing people without the right to work in the UK.
Share