Raids on those suspected of employing illegal workers will continue into 2011 after eight businesses were handed out £57,000 in fines last year.

During 2010 the UK Border Agency gave at least eight businesses in the borough civil penalties for employing illegal workers, with fines totalling more than £57,000.

Among those hit were a grocers on London Road which was fined £20,000 after four people were found to be working there illegally, a nail bar on Thornton Heath High Street fined £5,000, and a restaurant in West Croydon also given a £5,000 penalty.

UK Border Agency officers are warning lawbreakers that more operations are planned in 2011.

UKBA London Area Director Sharon Flannery said: “We’ve had a lot of success targeting firms who employ illegal workers in south London during 2010, but we are gathering intelligence all the time, and more raids are definitely planned for 2011.

“It is the legal responsibility of all employers to check that employees have the right to work in the UK. Those who don’t can be hit with big fines – up to £10,000 per person - but if you deliberately employ an illegal worker you could face criminal prosecution.

”Illegal working undercuts legitimate and law-abiding businesses, and takes jobs from those who are genuinely allowed to work.”

Every year, the UK Border Agency imposes civil penalties on thousands of companies which fail to carry out the necessary right-to-work checks on their staff.

Employers unsure of the steps they need to take to avoid employing illegal workers can visit ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/employers or they can call the UK Border Agency’s Employers Helpline on 0300 123 4699.

Anyone who suspects that illegal workers are being employed at a business can also contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 anonymously