The owners of shops in Richmond and Hampton are facing fines following raids by Home Office Immigration Enforcement officers.

Acting on intelligence, officers visited the Best One store in Kew Road, Richmond, at about 11am on Tuesday, June 11, where they carried out immigration checks on members of staff.

They arrested two men from Pakistan, aged 24 and 27, who had overstayed their visas, and both were detained pending their removal from the UK.

Officers then moved on to the Hampton Supermarket in Percy Road, where a 25-year-old Pakistani man was arrested for the same reason.

He was also detained and faces removal from the country.

Both businesses must now provide proof to the Home Office the correct right to work checks took place or they will be fined up to £10,000 per worker.

Chief immigration officer Alex Legg, from the west London immigration enforcement team, said: “Our officers are out across London almost every day targeting those who are in the UK illegally and the firms that employ them.

“Illegal working fuels illegal immigration to the UK and I hope these operations send out a strong message to businesses – you must carry out the correct checks on your staff or you could end up with a heavy fine.”