Two men were found to be working illegally after immigration officers raided car washes in Dunmow and Braintree yesterday (Wednesday).

Home Office Immigration Enforcement Officers detained a 25-year-old man who was working at Waves Car Wash, in Stortford Road, after discovering he had entered the UK illegally.

The Albanian was detained, pending his removal from the UK.

Officers arrived at the Dunmow car wash at about 1pm after first visiting Hands Car Wash, in Springwood Road, Braintree.

Staff at the car wash were questioned and a 34-year-old, also Albanian, was detained after officers found that he had entered the UK illegally.

He was released and must report regularly to the Home Office while arrangements are finalised to remove him from the country.

Both businesses were served with notices, warning of financial penalties of up to £20,000 per illegal worker will be imposed unless they can provide evidence appropriate checks of right to work documents, such as a passport or Home Office document, were made.

Chief immigration officer Jack Davis said: “Our specialist teams conduct operations on a daily basis and anyone who is in the UK illegally faces arrest and removal from the country.

“Illegal working defrauds the taxpayer, undercuts honest businesses and cheats legitimate job seekers out of employment opportunities.

“We rely on information from the public and I would urge people to report suspected immigration abuse to us.”

INFORMATION: Details to help employers carry out checks to prevent illegal working can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/employers-illegal-working-penalties. It includes a new quick answer right-to-work tool to help employers check if someone has the right to work in the UK.

People with information about suspected immigration abuse can contact https://www.gov.uk/report-immigration-crime or call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.