Immigration raid on nail bar - two detained

Acting on intelligence, Home Office immigration enforcement officers visited VIP Nails in Hough Lane around lunchtime yesterday and questioned staff to establish whether they had the right to live and work in the UK.

Officers found a 27-year-old Vietnamese man who was working illegally and while searching the premises above the shop, also found a 38-year-old Vietnamese man. Both men had entered the UK illegally.

They are now ordered to report to Immigration Enforcement regularly while their cases are progressed.

The business will be served a notice warning that a financial penalty of up to £20,000 will be imposed unless the employer can demonstrate appropriate right-to-work document checks were carried out.

Karen McDonough, from Immigration Enforcement Lancashire, said: “We are working hard to tackle illegal working and those who abuse the UK’s immigration system. Using illegal labour is not victimless crime. It cheats the taxpayer, depriving vital public services like schools and hospitals of funds, it undercuts honest businesses and it cheats legitimate job seekers of employment opportunities.”

The shop declined to comment.