Illegal workers caught in Hereford

TWO people have been caught illegally working at a Hereford business.

Officers from the UK Border Agency swooped on Hereford Nails in Eign Gate last Thursday (Sep 13) evening.

A man and a woman, both Vietnamese nationals, were arrested after they were found to have no right to work in the UK. The business was also issued with a potential fine of up top £10,000 per illegal worker, which will have to be paid unless it can prove that it carried out proper pre-employment checks.

Action will now be taken to remove the illegal workers from the UK as soon as possible.

“Foreign nationals who are in this country illegally should be in no doubt that they will be found, arrested and removed from the UK,” said Alice Hopkins, from the UK Border Agency.

“Companies that think they can undercut competitors by employing illegal workers should be warned they will face heavy fines and possible prosecution.”

Comments(12)

bobby47 says...
11:21pm Tue 18 Sep 12

I suppose you could take the view that the UK Border Agency have done well but I actually think that two Vietnamese people, trying for a better life aint going to make much difference to our plight.
We are in ruin. We are on the fast slope to oblivion and we've got half of East Europe here allready taking all the jobs and undercutting our local people so a couple of poor Vietnamese aint going to make any difference to our fate.
Let the poor souls be.

mizza21 says...
11:20am Wed 19 Sep 12

I love the line "Officials from the UK Border Agency swooped on Hereford Nails in Eign Gate"
I hope there were at least ten of them in Stab Vests brandishing Tazers and warrants, preceded by a six week surveillance operation where expensive micro-cameras and and telephone bugs were employed with men sitting in the back of vans with equipment eating donuts.
I wonder how much the "swoop" cost, compared to the potential revenue lost from two part time minimum wage UK taxpayers who would probably be in receipt of tax credits anyway.
I know it's the principle of the thing, but really this sounds like they were after low hanging fruit to boost their deportment figures.
Still, I suppose without them we'd be awash with foreigners taking our jobs...
.....Oh no!

bobby47 says...
1:34pm Wed 19 Sep 12

mizza 21, Well said kiddo. Your description of the scene will have been exactly as you describe. A large sledge hammer to crack a little nut.
My warmest regards.

rogerbodenham says...
2:56pm Wed 19 Sep 12

I have to disagree with some of those comments I spent 33 years in Hereford teaching in FE and helping our young people to keep their local jobs and businesses who think they can "employ" slave labour, for that is what it is, and not our youngsters should be subject to the severe penalties available. I would like to know how this business got in touch with illegal immigrants in the first place? They obviously went out of their way to do so,and they should recognise that there are many many young people in Herefordshire wanting jobs but at a living wage. Thank you.,

richybeaver says...
9:09am Thu 20 Sep 12

Is the minimum wage not a form of modern slave labour? How can an adult survive on £6 an hour when trying to pay their way?

33 years on a nice salary thank you very much - retired on a nice pension aswell I suppose.

You are not fit to comment on the plight of those struggling to exist.

billyb83 says...
1:31pm Thu 20 Sep 12

Well thats one shop down now try the rest as im sure theres alot more than 2 illegal immigrants in hereford, Why should we pay our taxes when they get away with it, Its cause people like them that our taxes are so high. Well done border agency now for the hundreds more around here!!!

missingtwick says...
9:32pm Thu 20 Sep 12

Half of Eastern Europe? Wow, you have no idea about numbers in those countries do you?

Sorry, but I know some very hard working Eastern Europeans who are here living and working legally, as I know a fair few English people who have moved abroad and are now working legally, how dare they 'steal' other people's jobs in another country.

From what I can gather most of the jobs that some of these people do are the jobs that most people in this country would think are below them.

They come here for experience, to give themselves a better chance. Perhaps if we didn't pay English people to sit on their arse or give them a free house people would leave here to go and do menial jobs in other countries or feel instead that they should perhaps contribute to their country instead of draining it with no consequence to themselves.

Fair enough, illegal immigrants should be dealt with, but don't immediately assume everyone foreign is here illegally.

Recently visited Aushwitz, read a quote about the German nation being 'freed' from Jews etc. Some Herefordian's attitudes are all too similar towards other nations. It is shameful.

bobby47 says...
9:34am Fri 21 Sep 12

Missingtwick, Steady on kiddo. You've latched on to a flippant and satirical remark I have made and stretched it to suggest that I'm one step away from being a facsist and a racist.
Everything you have posted I agree with and I aint got a beef with our East European visitors. If I were in their shoes I'd be doing exactly the same.
Dont go to war with me kiddo. I'm already in conflict with the Council and I dont need to be battling with you on a second front.
Be a good lad or lass and stop looking to be offended.
My very warmest regards to you.

RogerLFC says...
2:15pm Fri 21 Sep 12

Throwing quite a bit of money at solving the problem of 2 non EU illegal workers (who may have been happy with their wage and what they were doing?) seems to be a head in the sand approach to the bigger issue which is the number of other EU people who have arrived in Hereford to hoover up the available low paid jobs. They are also proving a strain on the local services. I'm not saying it's their fault but it is a far bigger issue than 2 'illegal' workers in a nail shop who presumably were not claiming benefits or using local services.

Colin J Marschall says...
8:13pm Fri 21 Sep 12

missingtwick wrote:
Half of Eastern Europe? Wow, you have no idea about numbers in those countries do you?

Sorry, but I know some very hard working Eastern Europeans who are here living and working legally, as I know a fair few English people who have moved abroad and are now working legally, how dare they 'steal' other people's jobs in another country.

From what I can gather most of the jobs that some of these people do are the jobs that most people in this country would think are below them.

They come here for experience, to give themselves a better chance. Perhaps if we didn't pay English people to sit on their arse or give them a free house people would leave here to go and do menial jobs in other countries or feel instead that they should perhaps contribute to their country instead of draining it with no consequence to themselves.

Fair enough, illegal immigrants should be dealt with, but don't immediately assume everyone foreign is here illegally.

Recently visited Aushwitz, read a quote about the German nation being 'freed' from Jews etc. Some Herefordian's attitudes are all too similar towards other nations. It is shameful.
I don't anybody who wants to stop all immigration, but I do know a lot of people who want it better controlled. Perhaps if we didn't have quite so many there would be a fewer more jobs available which in turn would mean less people being able to use the excuse there is no work while sat on their bums. I don't know if you realise but the UK's population increases by a city the size of Birmingham every 5 years, all of that increase is by immigrants. The UK already has the third highest population density (people per square-mile) in the world (England alone has the highest - 1016 people per square mile).
It has nothing to do with being racist or fascist or xenophobic it is all to do with the ability of the UK and its resources to continue to support the highest population increases since records began.

mr.dig says...
10:24pm Fri 21 Sep 12

i dont mind any folk coming to uk to look for work,indeed aint we all incomers,?
i dont like p**s takers..there are a lot of ee working in supermarkets in hr and all speak good english. i draw the line at , chaps chanting in polak by jesson's ,and that old romanian
bird wailing by tesco's.
b4 you say anything,i knew maria dragon

Batty Old Bird says...
6:02pm Sun 23 Sep 12

So.....could this mean the end of my nail salon??? I have been going to these vietnamese young people for nearly two years and not only are they competively priced but the quality of their workmanship is next to none!! In fact I know ladies who travel miles specifically to use this salon because of the standard of their work!
Maybe the young people in question were not even on a salary but helping out their friends rather than hanging about the streets of Hereford like many young locals who are too lazy or too into drugs to think about work of any kind!!
So....it must have been a competitor who "dobbed them in it" or maybe someone who may have received a few £'s for their info as I am sure it was not a customer so "Happy Karma" to this nice person who is so busy minding other peoples' business!!

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