THE owner of a car wash in Ledbury has spoken out, after two of his workers were arrested for entering the UK illegally, following a raid by immigration officers.

On Thursday July 21, around 20 immigration officers and police visited Ledbury Hand Car Wash, in Bromyard Road and questioned staff to check whether they had the right to live and work in the UK.

The men arrested were both from Albania.

Business director, Myrt Mazrreku, who has been in the car wash business for 14 years, originally in Gloucester, is now hoping he will only get a warning, due to the particular circumstances, instead of the £60,000 fine which he has been warned is possible.

He said: "That would be too much. I'm hoping it will just be a warning; I'm still waiting for the letter.

"This business is my passion."

Mr Mazrreku said one of the men arrested had fake documents, which had convinced him, and the other man had only started work at the car wash on the actual day of the raid.

He said: "I had asked him if he had documents and he said yes. I said, carry on working, we can deal with that later. When the immigration officers came here, on the same day, he told them he had none."

He added that local people have been supportive following the raid.

Mr Mazrreku, who moved to the UK from Albania 16 years ago, and is proud of the Union Jack flag he flies on the forecourt, said: "People are trying to encourage me. I'll just have to be more careful with staff and must ask them for their IDs and insurance numbers."

And Mr Mazrreku says he has learnt from his mistake.

He said: "What has happened will not happen again."

Mr Mazrreku added that he was now in need of more staff at the popular and busy car wash, which has been operating in Ledbury for one and a half years, and he hopes that local people will come in to enquire about positions.

Mr Mazrreku said a third man escorted from the premises by immigration officers was his cousin, and was not actually employed at the car wash.