More than 6,000 people have been arrested as part of a major crackdown on illegal working in Britain over the last year, according to the Home Office.
Videos, released on Saturday, show raids on nail bars, restaurants and caravan parks across the UK, including in east London and Surrey.
The Government said the surge in enforcement visits since last July had led to a 51% rise in the number of arrests compared to the year before.
Across Britain there have been 9,000 raids by immigration officers, resulting in 6,410 arrests.
However, the Government did not provide data on how many led to charges, convictions or deportations.
In London, between July 4, 2024 and May 31, there were 2,126 operations resulting in 1,604 arrests, marking a 52% rise compared to the year before.
Minister for Border Security and Asylum, Dame Angela Eagle, said: “For too long, employers have been able to take on and exploit migrants, with people allowed to arrive and work here illegally.
“This will no longer be tolerated on our watch. That’s why we are ramping up our enforcement activity and introducing tougher laws to finally get a grip of our immigration and asylum system.”
Companies have a legal requirement to carry out right to work checks and those who fail to do so face fines of up to £60,000 per worker.
Between July and September last year penalties totalling nearly £1.9 million were handed out by the Home Office to almost 50 London businesses for hiring illegal workers.
Many were in the hospitality sector and there is evidence that some firms were dodging employee insurance, benefits and paying the minimum wage by hiring staff without visas.
This week, the TikTok viral Fei Er Cottage dim sum restaurant in Westminster faced being stripped of its licence after four illegal workers from China and Nepal were discovered there in December.
The business was fined £180,000 and Westminster council officers expressed “modern slavery” concerns after payslips suggested some of the staff were working over 65 hours a week and having larger than normal chunks of their wages docked for “tax”.
During a raid on March 21, officers visited a workshop on an industrial estate in Enfield where they arrested an Albanian man for illegal working. He was detained pending his removal from the UK.
On April 29, three restaurants and a home in Ilford were raided leading to 11 illegal working arrests. Five people were detained pending removal from the UK and the other six were placed on strict immigration bail.
Elsewhere, officers made 36 arrests at a construction site in Belfast's historic Titanic Quarter for offences including breaching visa conditions.
Nine arrests were made at a caravan park in Surrey last month following intelligence about delivery drivers working in the gig economy.
The Home Office said migrant workers were often being subjected “to squalid conditions and illegal working hours below minimum wage”.
Director of Enforcement, Compliance and Crime at Immigration Enforcement Eddy Montgomery added: “Our work to tackle illegal working is vital in not only bringing the guilty to account, but also in protecting vulnerable people from exploitation.
“I’m incredibly proud of our enforcement teams across the country for their hard work, skill and co-operation on these often challenging but highly important operations.”
