Chippie owner given ‘devastating’ £40,000 fine by Home office for allegedly illegal hire

<p>Surrey chip shop staff left ‘terrified’ by immigration raid as ministers called on to lower penalties for small businesses</p><p>A fish and chip shop owner has been handed a “devastating” £40,000 fine by the Home Office after hiring a man who had allegedly forged his identity, as ministers face calls to reduce the size of such penalties for small businesses amid a surge in enforcement.</p><p>In March, Home Office immigration officers stormed Big Fry Fish &amp; Chips in Egham, Surrey, in a raid that left staff “terrified”. Officers took away a man, who was employed by the shop, on the alleged grounds that he did not have to right to work in the UK.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/jul/22/surrey-chippie-owner-given-devastating-home-office-fine-for-allegedly-illegal-hire-immigration">Continue reading...</a>