Illegal working raids and arrests hit record levels in the South West

Officers from Immigration Enforcement have been knocking on far more doors across the South West this year, and the number of people arrested for working illegally has climbed with them. The government says the last six months have brought its crackdown to the highest level yet, with raids on businesses in sectors ranging from beauty salons to delivery depots and warehouses.

The numbers behind the crackdown

In the South West, illegal working visits have risen by 61 per cent and arrests by 44 per cent over the last six months. So far in 2026 that has meant 895 visits and 693 arrests across the region, following action targeted at businesses in every sector.

The picture is similar nationally. Across the UK, enforcement activity has more than doubled in the last two years, and the government describes the first half of 2026 as the most active six-month period on record. Between January and June there were 7,270 illegal working visits, a 31 per cent increase on the same period last year, leading to 4,756 arrests, up 20 per cent.

Since July 2024, more than 17,000 people have been arrested for working illegally, a 122 per cent rise on the two years before, with almost 25,000 visits carried out, up 111 per cent. Over the same period the number of people returned to their home countries after being arrested for illegal working has risen by 50 per cent, to 2,357.

The figures follow a week-long, multi-agency operation against organised immigration crime in June. Working alongside 39 police forces, Immigration Enforcement visited more than 900 businesses and made 269 immigration-related arrests, 57 of them linked to small boat arrivals. 

Where officers have been

Officers visited a wide range of sectors across the region over the spring and summer.

Between 8 and 10 May 2026, operations ran across South Hampshire, the New Forest, Poole and Bournemouth. Eight premises were visited, resulting in 11 arrests and three civil penalty referral notices. Employers found to have hired illegal workers without carrying out the required pre-employment checks can face a fine of up to £60,000 per worker.

On 11 June 2026, warrants were executed at the same time at two large DPD depots in Newbury and Basingstoke. Nine people were arrested, mainly for overstaying and suspected illegal working. One was further linked to the use of a forged passport to obtain work.

Some cases take far longer to close. In June 2024, two Romanian nationals were found working illegally at a car wash in Poole. The business was handed an £80,000 civil penalty. After the company went into liquidation, the case was passed to the Insolvency Service, and on 19 February 2026 the director was disqualified for six years.

What the Home Office says

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said illegal working “undercuts honest workers and legal businesses.”

“This government has put more resources into Immigration Enforcement to crack down on it,” Shabana said. “This surge in enforcement activity takes us to the highest level in British history. Illegal workers and rogue employers have nowhere to hide.”

Adam Duffin, Immigration Enforcement and Compliance Lead for South Central ICE, said the work was constant.

“Our enforcement activity continues day in, day out, across South Central,” Adam said. “We want our communities to know we are cracking down on this illegal activity and ensuring businesses play by the rules.”

New rules from October

From October, companies that hire gig economy and zero-hours workers, including in the delivery sector, will be legally required to check that anyone working in their name is eligible to work in the UK.

Businesses that fail to do so could face fines of up to £60,000 per worker, director disqualifications, and prison sentences of up to five years.

The Home Secretary has also said she will double the Immigration Enforcement budget by 2028/29 and increase workforce numbers by 60 per cent, which the government says will mean tens of thousands more raids, arrests and removals of people with no right to be in the UK. At the end of March this year, the government said nearly 70,000 people with no right to be in the UK, including foreign criminals, had been removed or deported since the election, a 41 per cent increase under this government.