BUSINESSES across Yorkshire and the Humber paid out £355,000 in fines for employing illegal workers in just three months last year, new research has found.
The study, by vetting company uCheck, found that between July and September 2017, £4 million was paid to the Home Office by firms hiring illegal immigrants as staff.
Of the £355,000 figure for Yorkshire and the Humber, the highest offenders were companies in Sheffield, who paid out £90,000.
Despite the imposition of financial penalties, the survey claimed that a third of British business owners, 33.1 per cent, still felt “empathetic” toward illegal workers, with 11 per cent stating they “deserved the right to work”.
George Griffiths, managing director of uCheck, said: “Our results emphasise just how important it is for businesses to ensure all new hires are legal. If you’re found guilty of hiring someone who you knew did not have the right to work in the UK, you can be sent to jail for five years and pay an unlimited fine.
