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Leicester factory raided in Border Agency probe Leicester factory raided in Border Agency probe
(about 1 hour later)
More than 120 officers have raided a factory unit in Leicester city centre in an operation to crack down on illegal workers.More than 120 officers have raided a factory unit in Leicester city centre in an operation to crack down on illegal workers.
About 80 people employed by several textile companies at the former Imperial Typewriters building on East Park Road are being questioned. Eighty people employed by several textile companies at the former Imperial Typewriters building on East Park Road were questioned.
Many are thought to be from India, according to the UK Border Agency. Thirty-two, thought to be from India have been arrested, while the others were released with no further action.
The building contains 21 business units, many of which may be operating legitimately, said the agency. The raid, codenamed Operation Serbal, was led by the UK Border Agency.
The raid, codenamed Operation Serbal, is the first major operation as part of a national summer campaign to clamp down on abusive employers and illegal working. Officers from Leicestershire Police, HM Revenue and Customs, the Department for Work and Pensions and Trading Standards were also involved.
Officers from Leicestershire Police, HM Revenue and Customs, the Department for Work and Pensions and Trading Standards are involved.
In November, the old Imperial Typewriters building featured on a Channel 4 Dispatches programme called "Fashion's Dirty Secret", in which an undercover reporter exposed a number of poor working practices.
Interpreters usedInterpreters used
Information gathered as part of the programme has played a "significant part" in the way the UKBA gathered its intelligence for the raid, which has been planned for three months. Of those arrested, 26 are men and six are women. They have now been taken to a local police station for further checks and questioning.
Simon Excell, UKBA deputy director, said: "We've gone in with warrants this morning, secured the premises - there were a lot of individual units within the premises themselves - it's taken us a while to gain access, sometimes we've had to use a method of entry to gain access. After the raid, it emerged that the fire service was called after reports some workers were trapped in a lift inside the building.
"It's now secure and at the moment our officers are questioning those individuals located inside." In November, the old Imperial Typewriters factory featured on a Channel 4 Dispatches programme called "Fashion's Dirty Secret", in which an undercover reporter exposed a number of poor working practices.
Mr Excell said people from about a dozen units inside the building were being questioned, some making use of the 15 interpreters who had accompanied officers on the raid. Information gathered as part of the programme played a "significant part" in the way the UKBA gathered its intelligence for the raid, which had been planned for three months.
A number of the those attempted to hide when officers went in, while others accepted their presence, Mr Excell said. Simon Excell, UKBA deputy director, said: "We've gone in with warrants this morning, secured the premises - there were a lot of individual units within the premises themselves - it's taken us a while to gain access, sometimes we've had to use a method of entry to gain access."
He added that officers had "worked through methodically" and were now screening people to find out who was working lawfully and who was not. The building contains 21 business units, many of which were operating legitimately, stressed the agency.
Businesses found to be operating legitimately would not be included in any further action once the operation is complete, he said. Mr Excell said people from about a dozen units inside the building were questioned, some making use of the 15 interpreters who had accompanied officers on the raid.
A number of those attempted to hide when officers went in, while others accepted their presence, he added.