Home Office enforcers slap £80,000 fine on Swindon repair business

Swindon vehicle repair business Evolution Car Center has been hit with an £80,000 fine for employing illegal workers.

Trading as Evolution Car Center at Aspen Close, Kembrey Business Park, local newspaper the Swindon Advetisier reported that the company faced the penalty between April and June this year following an investigation by Immigration Enforcement.

The firm, incorporated on September 16, 2022, specialises in motor vehicle maintenance and repair, as listed on Companies House.

The directors of the business, Marcio Rogerio De Souza and Solvania Tamires Dellagnolo, were named in the Companies House records.

De Souza was also associated with a now-dissolved business, Evolution Car's Center, which was incorporated on May 26, 2021, and dissolved on December 7, 2021.

The fine is part of a broader crackdown, with numerous UK businesses penalized for employing illegal workers, as detailed in a government report released on October 31.

Home Office Immigration Enforcement teams have been intensifying operational activity across the UK to stop businesses hiring people to work illegally.

The Home Secretary confirmed that since the new government came into power in July, the number of illegal working visits increased by 34% and arrests went up 25%, compared to the same period last year.

From 5 July to 31 October 2024, operational colleagues targeting unscrupulous employers carried out 3,188 visits with 2,299 arrests. This is compared to 2,371 visits from 5 July to 31 October 2023 with 1,836 arrests.

Action to stop people suspected of working illegally has focused on nail bars, supermarkets and other industries including car washes and construction.