The Home Office has apologised to an Ellesmere Port garage wrongly named as an employer of illegal workers.

Last week, the Home Office said immigration enforcement officers had arrested three Ghanian men at the M53 Ford garage, Rossmore Road East, in Ellesmere Port, stating all three had been been working illegally.

But the Home Office has now formally apologised to M53 Ford, totally vindicating the company.

The full Home Office statement reads: "On Tuesday (September 6), the Home Office issued a press release stating that three Ghanaian men aged between 30 and 51-years-old had been arrested for working illegally at a Ford garage, Rossmere Road East, Ellesmere Port, on August 31.

"That press release gave the incorrect impression the three Ghanaian men were employees of the Ford garage and that the Ford garage was under investigation.

"The men, who are currently in detention pending removal from the UK, are believed to work for Falcon Car Care Limited, an independent business that provides car valeting services.

"For the avoidance of doubt the Ghanaian men have never been employed by the Ford garage and the Ford garage is not under investigation by the Home Office.

"Falcon Car Care Limited was served a notice warning that a financial penalty of up to £20,000 per illegal worker found will be imposed unless the employer can demonstrate that appropriate right-to-work document checks were carried out, such as seeing a passport or Home Office document confirming permission to work. This is a potential penalty of up to £60,000.

"The Home Office has apologised to the Ford garage for the inaccuracies contained within the press release."

The Home Office statement has also prompted St Helens based Falcon Car Care Ltd to issue its own statement.

It said: "Falcon Car Care Ltd is aware that three individuals were arrested at the premises of M53 Ford on 31 August 2016, as part of a Home Office investigation. ​

"These three individuals were engaged by Falcon Car Care Ltd as self-employed contractors to provide valeting services to M53 Ford. They were not employees of either Falcon Car Care Ltd or M53 Ford.

"Falcon Car Care Ltd carries out rigorous "right to work" checks on all individuals it engages to provide valeting services to its clients and had carried out such checks in relation to the three individuals arrested on 31 August 2016 before arranging for them to provide services to M53 Ford.

"At the time that Falcon Car Care Ltd arranged for these individuals to provide services to M53 Ford it held a genuine belief, based on the rigorous checks it had carried out, that the individuals had the legal right to work in the UK.

"Falcon Car Care Ltd has complied with, and will continue to comply with, its legal obligation to co-operate with the Home Office's investigation."

In a statement issued in the wake of the original inaccurate press release, M53 Ford said: “The three Ghanaian men are not and never have been employees of M53 Ford and any suggestion that M53 Ford has broken immigration law is wrong.

“M53 Ford has at no time employed illegal workers and at all times complies with right-to-work checks. Further M53 Ford is not under investigation by the Home Office.

“In relation to the Home Office investigation into the three Ghanaian men, M53 Ford complied with all reasonable requests made by the Home Office in order to assist that investigation.

“M53 Ford is extremely concerned that the Home Office chose to publish a press release which was misleading and reputationally damaging to M53 Ford, in circumstances in which M53 Ford had assisted with the investigation.

“M53 Ford is presently considering legal action against the Home Office in relation to this matter.”