Illegal delivery riders face removal from Britain in bid to make UK less enticing for migrants

They said targeted action across the country led to 171 arrests last month, including 60 detained for removal from the UK.

Those arrested included Chinese nationals working in a restaurant in Solihull, West Midlands, Bangladeshi and Indian riders in Newham, east London and Indian delivery riders in Norwich, Norfolk.

The Home Office showcased its efforts by releasing video footage of officers escorting an arrested man into the back of an immigration enforcement van.

Another man was also arrested by his bike in the street while Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood was present at an operation in Streatham, south London.

Ministers are targeting illegal working in the UK as part of efforts to deter those coming to the country illegally.

Ms Mahmood set out a raft of reforms to the asylum system last month in a bid to make the UK less attractive for illegal migration.

Border security minister Alex Norris said: “These results should send a clear message, if you are working illegally in this country, you will be arrested and removed.

“As well as delivering record levels of enforcement, we are tightening the law to clamp down on illegal working in the delivery sector to root out this criminality from our communities.

“This action is part of the most sweeping changes to illegal migration in modern times to reduce the incentives that draw illegal migrations here and scale up removals.”

Home Office figures show there were 8,232 arrests of illegal workers in the year to September, a 63 per cent uptick on 5,043 in the previous 12 months.

Food delivery firms Deliveroo, Just Eat and Uber Eats have been engaging with ministers amid concerns of abuse in the sector.

Authorities have called for a ramping up of identity checks to tackle account-sharing.

The Home Office also agreed in July to share asylum hotel locations with food delivery companies to tackle suspected illegal working hotspots.

The Government’s new Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Act became law on Tuesday, which includes measures like closing a “loophole” for casual, temporary or subcontracted workers to also have to prove their status.

Employers who fail to carry out checks risk up to five years in prison, fines of £60,000 for each illegal worker they have employed, and having their business closed.

The new legislation received Royal Assent on Tuesday and takes inspiration from counter-terror laws to allow law enforcement to intercept smuggling gangs’ criminal activity earlier on in the investigations processes.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said: “This new act gives law enforcement stronger powers than ever the powers they need to intercept, detain and arrest people smugglers who bring illegal migrants to our shores.

“I will not stop until we’ve restored order and control at the border.”

The National Crime Agency Director General of Operations Rob Jones said:“Tackling organised immigration crime remains a priority for the National Crime Agency, and we currently have around 100 investigations into the gangs or individuals involved.

“We will look for opportunities to use these new powers to intervene and disrupt that criminal activity at an earlier stage.”