London Businesses Penalized £6.7 Million for Illegal Workers in Six Months

More than a third of the companies fined were restaurants Get our award-winning daily news email featuring exclusive stories, opinion and expert analysis I would like to be emailed about offers, event and updates from Evening Standard. Read our privacy notice. More than 100 London businesses were slapped with illegal worker fines totalling over £6.7million in the first half of last year, analysis by the Standard has found. Some 117 firms across the capital were hit with penalties between January 1 and June 30, 2025, after it was discovered they had employed people with no right to work in the UK. This compares to almost 90 London businesses who were handed fines of almost £4.6million in the second half of 2024, according to Home Office data. More than a third of the companies fined (44) were restaurants or bars as the Government increased raids in the hospitality sector. Pubs, restaurants and hotels have also increasingly faced being stripped of their licence to serve alcohol and stay open late if they are found to have repeatedly been in breach of immigration laws. Home Office Small shops, supermarkets, car washes, nail bars and construction companies were also among the businesses fined, according to Home Office figures. Last year, fines for firms caught hiring staff without the right to work in Britain were upped from £15,000 per employee to £45,000 for first offences as part of a government crackdown. Repeat offenders face £60,000 penalties per illegal worker. A Home Office spokesperson said: “Illegal working undermines honest employers, undercuts local wages and fuels organised immigration crime – the British public will not stand for it and neither will this government. “Since coming to power, enforcement action nationwide has increased, with raids up 77% and arrests up by 83% since the election, and we will be stepping up that action further in the year ahead.” The owners of Notting Hill restaurant Sadaf were hit with a £45,000 fine and now face sanctions after being accused of hiring illegal workers to avoid paying proper wages. Read More Presenter Piers Morgan in hospital after tripping on a step in London hotel ‘We remember you’: Victims of New Cross fire honoured on 45th anniversary Scientist whose work laid foundations for Covid vaccines dies aged 91 Sponsored The best destinations and activities to book this winter Immigration enforcement officers raided the site, in Westbourne Grove, following a "tip off" in April 2025. Sadaf restaurant in Westbourne Grove is facing a licensing review . La Mia Mamma, a restaurant in Kensington Park Road which featured in a Stanley Tucci CNN documentary about authentic Italian cuisine, was also among the locations where illegal workers were found. A woman from Honduras and a Bangladeshi man, hired via an agency, were found working at the popular eatery, which is famous for flying real Italian mothers over to the UK to act as the chefs. An £80,000 penalty was issued, the Home Office said. Sodexo, a French services company based in Camden that holds contracts with the Home Office, Ministry of Defence and HMRC, was told to pay £55,000 after hiring staff with no right to work in the UK. Its workers cover services such as cleaning, security, catering, waste management, general logistics and office management. A spokesperson for the company said: “Following an internal investigation, we terminated the individual’s employment and immediately reported the activity to the Home Office. “We are committed to being a responsible employer and adhering to our legislative obligations.” MORE ABOUT