17 suspected illegal delivery drivers arrested in caravan park raid

A group of seventeen people, suspected to have been working illegally as delivery drivers, have been arrested in a caravan park raid following a tip-off. 

Every individual taken into custody at the Bristol camping site were believed to have been working illegally as couriers, according to the Home Office. 

Thirteen of those arrested had overstayed their permitted leave whilst two others were in breach of their immigration bail conditions. 

Out of the 17 people arrested, 13 have since been detained and are awaiting to be potentially removed from the UK.   

The other four persons involved were not detained but were placed on immigration bail  and will have to report to the Home Office on a regular basis. 

The Home Office said this operation is just one part of an 'intensified crackdown' on 'illegal working' and the exploitation of those vulnerable to fall victim to it.

Delivery drivers working for big name brands are paid per job and are often not directly hired by the company. 

This means they work lengthy hours and commonly earn a large amount less than the national minimum wage. 

Individuals who exploit the labour market frequently take advantage of migrants who are desperate to make money and create a better life. 

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This exploitation leaves them more susceptible to unsafe working conditions for very little money.  

Minister for border security and asylum Angela Eagle, said: 'We are determined to clamp down both on illegal working and the exploitative treatment of illegal workers. 

'Those working without the correct immigration status and worker's rights can find themselves in unsafe and insecure conditions, facing exploitation and even modern-day slavery, often facilitated by organised criminal gangs.

'We are taking action to smash the gangs by creating the new Border Security Command, which will coordinate the work of law enforcement and intelligence agencies to tackle organised immigration crime.'

Director of enforcement, compliance and crime at Immigration Enforcement, Eddy Montgomery said: 'This operation sends a clear message to those who seek to exploit the labour market to employ workers illegally, and those who believe they can work here without the correct status - the Home Office is committed to enforcing immigration law and will not tolerate any abuse. 

'It is our priority to uphold border security and to ensure the criminals who seek to exploit it face serious consequences.'

It comes as the Home Office discovered illegal migrants living in makeshift shipping containers after raiding a scrapyard in Greater Manchester in July.

Immigration officers carried out the raid yesterday morning after receiving intelligence that migrants working in the UK illegally were living in grubby and rusty freight containers.

They found that the migrants were living in appalling conditions in the Oldham vehicle salvage yard and being paid just £2.33 an hour.

The illegal foreign workers, who were from Malaysia, Lithuania and Belarus, were not only living on site, but also working between 50 and 60 gruelling hours a week.

Officers found makeshift sleeping cabins, fitted with small beds and bathrooms, as well as shipping containers that had been turned into a kitchen and living room.

Immigration officials said the migrants were promised accommodation and three meals a day - but once these costs were deducted it is suspected they only received £500 a month, or £2.33 per hour.

The investigation was launched after two passengers from Malaysia landed at Manchester Airport on May 19. 

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