Agency names and shames firms found guilty of employing illegal workers

Companies prosecuted for employing illegal immigrants have been named and shamed in a further attempt to crack down on people smuggling.

The UK Border Agency has published a list of guilty firms, along with how many illegal workers the companies were employing, and how much they were fined on its website.

In February, the government launched a new drive to identify and prosecute companies breaking the law. More than 200 companies have already been fined for hiring illegal labour.

Thirty five firms have been named on the website, alongside 37 directors. They were fined a total of almost £303,000 for employing 56 illegal workers. The vast majority were restaurants or take-aways.

In all, there have been 265 fines issued since February under the new rules, totalling £2.35m.

Home secretary Jacqui Smith also announced that about 7,500 immigration officers and staff across the UK will be reorganised into local immigration teams to tackle localised crime. Employers will be able to speak to these teams for advice on employing migrant labour and preventing the hiring of illegal workers.