Hand car washes across the UK have been fined £2.9 million for employing illegal workers.
The investigation was carried out by the Home Office’s Illegal Immigration Unit between July and September last year. It found 44 hand car washes were breaking ‘right to work’ laws, dishing out £2.9million in fines; the biggest of £360,000 given to D&T Hand Car Wash of Leatherhead. It has not confirmed how the fines are determined.
It comes as part of a new government effort to address illegal immigration, following a Home Office report that found legal operated sites outnumbered non-compliant firms.
Last July it was announced that some 1000 staff, previously assigned to the now-abandoned Rwanda deportation scheme, were to be redeployed to focus on businesses suspected of employing illegal workers.
The latest figures have been described as “a deep concern” although they “come as no surprise”, according to Brian Madderson, chair of the Car Wash Association (CWA).
He said: “For over a decade, major reports have highlighted serious labour abuses within non-compliant hand car washes, yet enforcement agencies have done little to eradicate these illegal practices. Despite the Home Secretary’s commitment to tackling illegal working and an increase in investigations, the reality is that this sector continues to operate largely unchecked.”
Madderson added, “We estimate that non-compliant HCWs are costing the Treasury up to £500k annually due to tax evasion. These missing funds could be used to strengthen enforcement efforts and tackle the root of the problem more effectively.”
The latest fines handed out to UK hand car washes
- 5 Star Hand Car Wash (two locations), Swansea, £50,000
- A6 Hand Car Wash, Westhoughton, £45,000
- Abi Valeting Ltd, Hailsham, £40,000
- Aran Hand Car Wash, Winsford, £45,000
- Auto Spa Hand Car Wash, Bristol, £40,000
- Belgrave Hand Car Wash, Leicester, £80,000
- Best Hand Car Wash, Liverpool, £40,000
- Burnley Hand Car Wash, Burnley, £120,000
- Central Garage Hand Car Wash, Workington, £45,000
- Cromwell Carwash, Worcester, £90,000
- D&T Hand Car Wash, Leatherhead, £360,000
- Devon Hand Car Wash & Valeting Centre, Devon, £30,000
- Diamond Carwash Yard, Manchester, £45,000
- Diamond Hand Car Wash & Valeting Centre, Warrington, £10,000
- Downend Car Wash, Bristol, £30,000
- Excellent Hand Car Wash, Southampton, £45,000
- Express Hand Car Wash, Mountain Ash, £90,000
- Family Hand Car Wash & Valet Centre, Aberdare, £90,000
- Foxton Car Wash, Cambridgeshire, £80,000
- Gorseinon Hand Car Wash, Swansea, £45,000
- Guildford Hand Car Wash & Valeting, Guildford, £15,000
- Hand Car Wash Horsham, Horsham, £80,000
- Magic Touch Hand Car Wash, Rotherham, £120,000
- Mercury Cars LTD – Barkely Hand Car Wash, Ashford, £80,000
- Oakwell Hand Car Wash, Barnsley, £10,000
- Prestige Car Wash, Durham, £45,000
- Professional Hand Car Wash, Lightwater, £45,000
- Quality Hand Car Wash (Belle Vale Car Wash Ltd), Liverpool, £45,000
- Quality Hand Car Wash (Quality UK Car Wash Ltd), Liverpool, £30,000
- Route 66 Car Wash, Arbroath, £40,000
- Rufford Car Wash, Ormskirk, £80,000
- Sidney Street Car Wash, Whitechapel, £30,000
- Splash Hand Car Wash and Valeting Services, Manchester, £80,000
- Spongebob Car Wash , Telford, £45,000
- Sponge Hand Car Wash, Aberdeenshire, £20,000
- Star Inn Hand Car Wash, Nottingham, £45,000
- Super Hand Car Wash, Lanarkshire, £90,000
- Supreme Car Wash, Droitwich, £30,000
- Unique Hand Car Wash, Bridgend, £10,000
- Vilson Car Wash, Ipswich, £80,000
- Wareham Hand Car Wash, Poole, £180,000
- Wheatley Hand Car Wash, Doncaster, £40,000
- White Hart Car Wash, Nottingham, £15,000
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