Magherafelt concrete firm facing illegal workers fine of up to £225k

A NORTHERN Ireland company has been hit with a six-figure fine for hiring illegal workers after a dawn raid on a north Wales mill.

Concrete supplier FP Mccann, based in Magherafelt, will have to pay up to £225,000 after five contractors were found to be working illegally.

Stockport-based Adana Construction Ltd will have to pay up to £180,000 for employing another four illegal workers.

Twelve men and a woman were arrested and will be removed from the UK following the 5am raid on the Shotton Mill site in Deeside, north Wales, on Tuesday, March 19. They were all working as subcontracted labourers and steel fixers.

Immigration enforcement officers descended on the former paper mill — now being turned into a containerboard factory — in response to allegations from members of the public.

Seven contractors, from India and Albania, were taken into custody, while the others were bailed and are required to report to immigration officials.

Officers entered with permission from the site managers, who have since launched an internal investigation.

The operation follows tough action from the Home Office to triple the fines for companies employing illegal workers.

From February, the civil penalty rose to £45,000 per worker for a first breach, up from £15,000, and to £60,000 for repeat breaches, up from £20,000.

Ryan Moore, from the Home Office’s immigration enforcement department, said: “Illegal working causes untold harm to communities, puts vulnerable people at risk, defrauds the public purse and undercuts honest employers and jobseekers.

“Our teams will do everything in our power to clamp down on this damaging practice and hit those who cheat our laws in the pocket. This operation was a huge success and I thank our officers who executed it expertly.”

Both firms were handed civil penalty referral notices pending a review of evidence from the site visit and company records.

‘Illegal working causes untold harm’