Car wash firm fined for employing illegal staff still holds licence to sponsor foreign workers

A CAR wash firm fined for employing illegal staff still holds a licence to sponsor foreign nationals on skilled worker visas. Mayfair Carwash, which cleans motors for up to £50, was hit with the £160,000 penalty this year after a Home Office raid. Mayfair Carwash was hit with a £160,000 penalty this year Credit: News Group Newspapers Ltd The car wash was fined as part of a Home Office raid Credit: David Dyson The Sun On Sunday visited the business this week and the man identified by staff as the manager shrugged when asked about the fine. Marble Arch Express Ltd runs the car wash in central London and holds the Home Office licence on skilled worker visas. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! The Home Office says our findings will form part of a probe into what businesses can bring in skilled work. Currently, vape shops, kebab takeaways and car washes remain on the sponsorship list despite calls for unemployed British youngsters to be given more chances to work. READ MORE ON ILLEGAL WORKERS When The Sun on Sunday visited the business visited this week, we were led to a man identified by staff as the car wash’s manager. The staff member did not comment and instead shrugged his shoulders when confronted about the six-figure fine. Across an hour on Friday afternoon, two dozen cars were cleaned at the high-end firm, which is just around the corner from the capital’s most lucrative high street. Owners of flashy Mercedes motors, BMWs, and Range Rovers had their vehicles jet-washed by hand for up to £50 a pop. Most read in The Sun Over a dozen members of staff could be seen milling around the business’s premises throughout the afternoon. Analysis of Home Office penalty records shows car washes were hit with fines totalling £2,595,000 for using illegal labour between January and March. But some 39 car washes are licensed to sponsor non-British nationals. Comment now