Illegal workers found at Rochdale building site

Four Indian men aged between 29 and 42 have been arrested for immigration offences, including illegal working and breach of visa conditions – at a construction site in Rochdale.

The four men were caught in a raid by UK Border Agency officers targeting illegal workers, on a building site on Smith Street, understood to be the site of Rochdale Council’s new municipal offices.

Officers visited the site, acting on intelligence, and questioned staff to ensure they had the right to work in the UK. The UK Border Agency is now taking steps to remove all four men from the UK.

The agency employing the construction site workers will be issued with a civil penalty notice for employing illegal workers. If they are unable to prove they conducted the correct pre-employment checks on staff they may be liable for a fine of up to £10,000 per worker - a total of £40,000.

The UK Border Agency enforcement operation was part of a nationwide campaign to tackle illegal working, sham marriages, bogus colleges and organised immigration crime.

Eddy Montgomery, operations director, North West, UK Border Agency said: “We are absolutely determined to stamp down on those businesses that ignore our immigration laws.

“Any employer who takes on foreign nationals without permission to work in the UK is breaking the law, undermining law-abiding businesses and faces fines of up to £10,000 per illegal employee.

“If people ignore our immigration laws, we will find them and remove them from the country.”

The site believed to be the one in question is being developed by Sir Robert McAlpine. A spokesperson for the company was unavailable for comment at the time of publication.