A social club has been handed a £15,000 fine after the Home Office found it had employed illegal workers at its premises.

Acre Rigg Social Club Limited, County Durham who own the social club of the same name, on Lowhills Road, Peterlee, was listed in the Home Offices' recent data for businesses that have employed illegal workers.

According to the data - which is updated every three months - the business that has been caught could have been fined up to £75,000 - but it had been limited to a £15,000 fine from the Home Office.

The Home Office releases the data into the public record four times per year, and the latest data relates to the period of January 1 to March 31, 2024, and was released on Saturday (August 31).

Alongside Acre Rigg Social Club Limited, several other businesses across County Durham, Tyne and Wear, North Yorkshire and Teesside have been fined by the Home Office on its most recent list. These are:

  • Sarah Shawarma, Adam Anwar Limited, 110 Parliament Road, Middlesbrough, TS1 4JJ, £​20,000
  • Shiny Hand Carwash, Arsalan Ahmed, 5 John Street, Consett, Durham, DH8 5LA, £​15,000
  • Fishing Vessel - GV Artemis 1BAG FR LLP, Hartlepool Bay Port, Hartlepool, TS24 0EQ, £​30,000
  • Bengal Spice Limited, Bengal Spice Limited, Bengal Spice Limited, 47 Prospect Road, Scarborough, North Yorkshire, YO12 7JX, £​15,000
  • Bitz ‘N’ Pizzas, Bitz N Pizzas Ltd, 24 Flowergate, Whitby, North Yorkshire, YO21 3BA, £​50,000
  • Crispy Slice, Hanid Food Ltd, 92 High Street West, Wallsend, Tyne and Wear, NE28 8HY, £​10,000
  • Mist Shisha Lounge/Pool/Snooker, Inspire Investments Group Ltd, 339 Linthorpe Road, Middlesbrough, TS5 6AB, £​10,000
  • Istanbul Shwarma, Istanbul Shawarma 4U LTD, 61 High Street, Redcar, North Yorkshire, TS10 3DD, £​15,000
  • Reem’s Pizzeria, Zabih Jabarkhil, 180 York Road, Hartlepool, TS26 9EA, £20,000

According to the Government, there can be severe penalties for employing individuals who do not have the right to work.

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Gov.uk says: "You can be sent to jail for 5 years and pay an unlimited fine if you’re found guilty of employing someone who you knew or had ‘reasonable cause to believe’ did not have the right to work in the UK.

This includes, for example, if you had any reason to believe that:

  • They did not have leave (permission) to enter or remain in the UK
  • Their leave had expired
  • They were not allowed to do certain types of work
  • Their papers were incorrect or false