The UK Home Office is urging food delivery firms to conduct checks on all delivery drivers to prevent illegal working.

Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick also demanded food courier firms Uber Eats, Deliveroo and Just Eat end the practice of unchecked account sharing, known as ‘substitutions’, by implementing stricter controls.

It comes after the BBC found a black-market trade in delivery app accounts allows underage teenagers to sign up as riders.

Under the current model, food delivery companies allow account holders to substitute deliveries to multiple people who have not been checked by the companies. This means customers have no way of knowing whether the person who hands over their order has been appropriately vetted, and the delivery companies do not know if the delivery driver has the right to work in the UK.

According to the BBC, the family of a 17-year-old who died while working as a Deliveroo rider, despite 18 being the minimum age, says the company is “unaccountable”.

The rider, Leo, was just 15 when he first rented his Deliveroo account from a man in the town where he lived.

The mother of the rider who died says, on the surface, the work is really appealing for a teenager. "They make a lot of money and they don't want to stop. £100 or £200 a day - it's a lot of money".

Deliveroo says it has a ‘zero tolerance approach’ towards ineligible riders.

In a letter from Minister Jenrick to online food delivery platforms to each company, Jenrick called for the practice to end, warning that the substitution business model is enabling illegal working, allowing exploitation, and putting the UK public at risk.

Jenrick said, “When someone orders a takeaway to their home, they deserve to know that the person arriving at their door has been properly vetted and is who they’re expecting.”

“Unchecked account sharing places the public at risk, enables, and therefore encourages, illegal migration, and leads to the exploitation of workers. That’s why I’m calling on these companies to end the use of unverified substitution,” Jenrick said. “We’re taking the action needed to safeguard the British public and prevent the scourge of illegal working. It is critical these companies work with us to achieve this.”

The government is calling on firms to introduce stricter vetting measures to make sure people representing each company are allowed to work in the UK and do not have a criminal record.

Immigration Enforcement teams have already ramped up action targeting illegal working in the food delivery sector, conducting over 250 enforcement visits and making over 380 arrests involving food delivery drivers so far this year.

Fiona Coombe, Director of Legal and Regulatory Research at SIA, said, “The right to provide a substitute is a pointer towards self-employment. Such a right in a contract would normally be accompanied by an obligation to ensure that the substitute has the necessary skills and suitability to carry out the work. However, it is not an easy process to check that substitute drivers have no convictions and the right to work in the UK. There seems no mechanism to assist drivers to do this and no process on the part of the companies to check whether this is being done.”

In its investigation, the BBC found social media account holders selling or renting accounts for the three leading delivery apps. It set up a fake social media profile, using an image of a 16-year-old boy generated by AI, and messaged the sellers.

When it told one seller offering Deliveroo accounts that he was speaking to a 16-year-old, he replied, "I want to help you, age does not matter." Another said he would rent the BBC his Uber Eats account for £70 per week, adding, "They don't check age, it's more like you are using my account."

Deliveroo said in a statement, "We take our responsibilities extremely seriously and we continue to work in close collaboration with the relevant authorities to support their efforts in this area."

Just Eat released a statement saying, “We have high standards and a robust criteria in place for couriers. Self-employed independent couriers have the legal right to use a substitute. Legally the courier account-holder is responsible for ensuring their substitute meets the necessary standards to deliver on our network."

Uber Eats said all couriers “must pass a criminal background check, be over the age of 18 and hold a valid right to work in the UK”. It added, "We understand that there are concerns around this issue, and we are working closely with the government and want to find a solution."

The Home Office said it has led engagement with Uber Eats, Deliveroo and Just Eat over recent months. In August, an agreement was secured with the businesses to strengthen existing recruitment processes and improve awareness of illegal working in the UK. The government said it will continue to work with the food delivery sector to build on this cooperation and prevent unlawful working.