NFB calls for probe into illegal workers racket

The National Federation of Builders (NFB) has called on the Home Office to investigate the use of illegal workers on construction sites.

The call follows a report by the London Evening Standard last week that exposed dozens of companies hiring immigrants in north London. An undercover reporter was put to work on a building site without essential safety equipment or training and was paid £50 for a full day's work. Others are paid as little as £25.

NFB chairman Alistair McHarg said: "The Evening Standard investigation only hints at the scale of the problem. Even the Home Office has admitted there are likely to be hundreds of thousands of illegal workers without proper training working on sites.

"We believe a full investigation should be carried out nationally to determine the true extent of the problem."