A total of 12 workers have been arrested in the Grantham area for UK immigration offences, it has been revealed.
The UK Border Agency (UKBA) worked with officers from Lincolnshire police, HMRC and the Gangmasters Licensing Authority to stop two vehicles on the A52 just outside the town earlier this month in an early morning raid.
A total of 24 people were occupying the vehicles and the officers made use of fingerprint scanners to confirm the identities of the individuals and check their immigration status. They discovered that 11 Indian nationals and one Pakistani man had either overstayed their UK visas or entered the country illegally.
Rachel Challis, of the UKBA's Lincolnshire local immigration team, commented: "We are cracking down on immigration abuse across the county. Any foreign national who is in the UK illegally should be in no doubt that they will be found, arrested and removed from the country.
"Businesses that take on illegal workers should also be warned that they face heavy fines and possible prosecution."
The men had been arrested and taken to Grantham police station for further questioning. They will then be transferred to immigration detention centres ahead of their removal from the country.
There is further concern regarding the severe overcrowding of the vehicles, which could place the safety of the occupants at risk, as well as breaching transport regulations.