NORTH West employers are being advised to review their recruitment procedures to comply with new rules to prevent illegal working.

Following growing concern about the increasing number of illegal workers, the Government has issued revised guidance to employers. It sets out which documents potential employees must produce to prove they are entitled to work in this country.

Firms face prosecution under the Asylum and Immigration Act if they give a job to someone who is barred from working in the UK, or not entitled to do a job.

Terry Cook, the Institute of Chartered Accountants' regional manager, said employers should be aware of which documents were needed to avoid the risk of committing a criminal offence.

He said: "Documents have now been split into two lists, the first of which employers can regard as secure, and a second which should be viewed with caution."

The secure list includes passports and ID cards, one of which the employer must verify and copy. For less secure documents, more than one is required, such as a P45/P60 showing a national insurance number plus a full UK birth certificate.

The Home Office has produced an employer's guide: call the helpline, 0845 010 6677.