Swoop on illegal workers

Eighteen suspected illegal immigrants were discovered at a Walsall Wood window firm which is refurbishing thousands of former council properties across the borough.

Immigration Service officers, which swooped on Select Windows (Home Improvement) yesterday, said all of those detained were Indian nationals.

They raided the business after receiving a tip-off that illegal immigrants may be working at the Walsall Road premises.

The family-run firm has been involved in a multi-million pound deal with Walsall Housing Group to replace doors and windows at thousands of former council properties.

An Immigration Service spokesman said today: "Eighteen immigration offenders were encountered at a company in Walsall Road. They are all Indian nationals and all subject to appropriate action, but we cannot say what that is."

The spokesman declined to comment on how many officials took part in the operation, whether any action would be taken against the Indian nationals or whether there would be action taken against the company.

John Wood, chairman of Select Windows, said the 18 men concerned previously worked at other companies in Walsall.

He insisted the Home Office had cleared the company of any wrong doing and said the firm had been working closely with immigration officials. All the men concerned worked on the shopfloor.

Mr Wood said: "The officers came and talked to us yesterday afternoon and we supplied them with all the relevant paperwork which we believed to be genuine.

"We are shocked by what has happened but we were following the correct procedures when we employed these men."

Insp Paul Deakin, of Bloxwich police, said officers had attended to support the operation which had been led by immigration officials.

A witness to the swoop, who did not want to be named, said: "I saw three vehicles including a van and a minibus. People in handcuffs were taken out of the building and put in these vans which were driven away."

By Deborah Stewart

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