Fake ID card factory shut down

A London factory which produced thousands of fake driving licences for asylum seekers was closed today.

More than 4,000 cards costing £450 each were made and bought by members of the Iraqi, Iranian and Turkish communities who had been led to believe they could be used as ID cards.

But the so-called United Nations International Drivers' Association licences are fakes which bear no resemblance to a legitimate International Driving Licence.

Today, the Department of Trade and Industry referred the case to the High Court and the company, Daryadel Enterprises Limited, of Hangar Lane in Harrow, may be stopped from trading. The firm is thought to be one of a number making millions by offering fake identification cards to the 18,000 people who enter Britain illegally each year.

UK law states that residents with non-EC licences can drive here for a year using permits issued in their country. After that, they are normally expected to obtain a British provisional licence and pass a British driving test.