Eighteen workers have been arrested after an immigration raid at a busy DPD delivery depot.

The employees were detained on suspicion of immigration offences during a crackdown on illegal working in the parcel delivery sector.

Immigration Enforcement officers swooped on DPD's site at Dudley Port, Wolverhampton on Tuesday 29 September.

Footage from the raid appears to show workers wearing DPD uniforms sitting beside their delivery vans as Home Office officers patrol around them.

The depot was issued with a Civil Penalty Referral Notice which will now trigger further investigations into whether the business could be liable.

Under immigration rules, employers can face fines of up to £45,000 for each illegal worker for a first breach if they have failed to carry out the required right-to-work checks.

That rises to £60,000 per worker for repeat offending, while the most serious cases can result in criminal prosecution.

A Home Office spokesperson said: 'We will not stand for illegal working. Since coming into office, immigration enforcement activity has risen to its highest level on record under this government, with illegal working arrests up by 122 per cent.

'We have strengthened right to work requirements to cover the parcel delivery sector, helping to ensure appropriate checks are carried out.

'Businesses failing to meet their obligations may face fines of up to £60,000 per illegal worker and, in the most serious cases, criminal prosecution.'

But DPD insisted it has robust procedures in place and said it had not yet been served with a penalty notice.

A spokesman said: 'At DPD we take our legal obligations extremely seriously and we have right to work checks in place for all of our people.

'In addition, we have carried out a review of these procedures ahead of the new legislation that came into force recently, and we will continue to support and work closely with the Home Office on this issue.

'We can also confirm DPD has not been served with a Penalty Notice.'

It comes just months after nine people were arrested during raids at two DPD depots in the south of England.

Immigration Enforcement officers targeted sites in Basingstoke, Hampshire, and Newbury, Berkshire, on June 11.

Right-to-work checks were carried out on more than 100 people across the two locations.

Seven Indian nationals, one Ghanaian national and one Pakistani national were arrested on suspicion of immigration offences.

All nine were subsequently placed on immigration bail with conditions while further inquiries were carried out.

Lettice.bromovsky@dailymail.co.uk