Car washes will be targeted by immigration officers as they step up enforcement action over the summer, the home secretary Yvette Cooper has pledged.
Writing in the Sun on Sunday newspaper over the weekend she said officials had been redeployed from the now abandoned Rwanda scheme. They will staff a “returns and enforcement programme” targeting businesses, such as car washes and those in parts of the beauty sector, suspected of employing illegal workers.
Yvette Cooper wrote in the newspaper: “We have directed Immigration Enforcement to intensify their operations over the summer, with a focus on employers who are fuelling the trade of criminal gangs by exploiting and facilitating illegal working here in the UK – including car washes and the beauty sector.”
The Car Wash Association (CWA) – a sister organisation to the Petrol Retailers Association – has welcomed Yvette Cooper giving priority to the problem. Earlier this month it called for Labour to take a tougher stance with illegal hand car wash businesses which underpay their staff and undercut the wider industry.
Balmer has also called for a national licensing scheme to stop these businesses from “blatantly disregarding employment laws”.
He said: ”This focus on illegal employment in sectors like car washes is a critical step in combating modern slavery and protecting vulnerable workers. We strongly recommend that this effort be supported by an enforceable licensing scheme for hand car washes, including sanctions and enforcement by local councils and environmental health authorities.”
Until now, added Balmer, the CWA’s concerns had been largely dismissed. A comprehensive report submitted to the Home Office on the subject in September 2022 - the Responsible Car Wash Scheme - did not, he said, receive the attention it deserved.
“The CWA has long been deeply concerned about the persistent presence of non-compliant hand car washes operating illegally and disregarding health and safety standards,” said Balmer. ”Despite consistently bringing this matter to the attention of previous ministers, our concerns were largely ignored.
“We hope this initiative will result in a level playing field for all law-abiding car wash operators, improved conditions for workers, and the closure of non-compliant operators that often serve as fronts for organised crime and money laundering. The Car Wash Association is committed to supporting the government in this urgent matter and ensuring that victims are protected.”
