Two suspected illegal immigrants have been detained following a raid on a hand car wash in Newington.

Officers descended on the centre, on the High Street near the village hall, at 10am this morning.

One of the men, a 38-year-old Albanian, locked himself in a store room as immigration officers arrived and they had to force entry to get him out.

Checks subsequently identified him as having entered the UK illegally.

Another Albanian ‘worker’, aged 25, was also found to have come into the country by unofficial means.

Both men have been detained pending their deportation.

"Illegal working... cheats the taxpayer, meaning less money is available for vital public services" - Richard Lederle, head of the Kent and Sussex Immigration Enforcement team

Officers also seized cash, suspected to be the proceeds of illegal working, when they visited the men’s shared accommodation in the High Street.

An application will now be made to the courts to request forfeiture of the money which, if successful, would see the funds transferred to the public purse.

Acorn Car Wash has been served a notice warning it faces a financial penalty of up to £40,000 unless it can demonstrate that appropriate right-to-work document checks were carried out, such as seeing a passport or Home Office document confirming permission to work.

Richard Lederle, head of the Kent and Sussex Immigration Enforcement team, said: “It is easy for businesses to carry out employment checks and those with appropriate records have nothing to fear.

“However, those who either knowingly employ immigration offenders or who have a lax attitude towards the legally required checks should expect a visit.

“Illegal working is not a victimless crime. It cheats the taxpayer, meaning less money is available for vital public services, undercuts honest employers and denies legitimate job seekers employment opportunities. It also exploits some of society’s most vulnerable people.

“We are working hard to tackle illegal working and those who ignore the rules will face the consequences.”

People with information about suspected immigration abuse can visit the gov.uk website or call Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.

Information to help employers carry out checks to prevent illegal working can be found here.