AN immigration offender has been detained following an operation at a car washing business.

Immigration enforcement officers raided Portslade Car Wash, in Camden Road, Portslade, after being tipped off workers there might not be legally entitled to work in the UK.

Staff were questioned and a 35 year-old man from India was arrested after it was found he was in the UK illegally.

He remains in immigration detention pending his removal from the UK following Tuesday's raid.

A Home Office spokeswoman said the business had been served with a notice warning that a financial penalty of up to £20,000 for the illegal worker will be imposed unless they can demonstrate that appropriate right to work document checks were carried out.

Assistant Director Richard Lederle, head of the Kent and Sussex Immigration Enforcement team, said: "We are working hard to tackle illegal working in Sussex, and those who abuse the UK’s immigration system.

"Illegal working is not a victimless crime. It cheats the taxpayer, meaning less money is available for vital public services like schools and hospitals, undercuts honest employers and denies legitimate job seekers employment opportunities. It also exploits some of society’s most vulnerable people."

People with information about suspected immigration abuse can contact gov.uk/report-immigration-crime or call anonymously Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.