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Customs authority officials in Stuttgart acted after they inspected the men's paperwork while they were fitting out a sports shop for a Slovenian company. The men, believed to be from Hornchurch, in east London, were told that they did not have the correct documents to allow them to stay in Germany. They were identified under Germany’s privacy laws as Matthew O, 22, Carl P, 30, and Pjotr O, 51. Along with the three British men, two other people were deported, including a person from Croatia and another from Serbia. Thomas Seemann, the spokesman for the customs office in Stuttgart, told The Times: “The official accusation against the men is that they were working illegally in the Federal Republic of Germany, as they did not have a place of residence or the correct paperwork. “Based on this, they had to deposit a ‘financial security’ for the expected penalty. "The public prosecutor’s office in Stuttgart will determine how high the penalty will be. “The sum the men had to leave was only a three-digit figure, so not very much really. "And if the public prosecutor decides that the fine they will face is a very small one, then the men will get something back from the money they deposited.” Mr Seemann added that the three British men could have stayed in Germany and avoided a fine if they had come with a registered and approved work permit. He added: “They had some work here in Germany in the past. Angela Merkel may face 'disaster' in elections says expert Related articles "So perhaps [they] simply didn’t know that the rules have changed.” The UK officially cut ties with the EU on December 31 last year, meaning there are now new post-Brexit rules British citizens need to adjust to. The withdrawal agreement that the UK agreed with the bloc states that any unregistered British citizens can face fines or even a ban on re-entering an EU member state. The UK government says that Britons who were legal residents in Germany by January 1, 2021, will now require a special residency permit, which is also known as an Aufenthaltsdokument-GB. It comes after Spanish authorities have also warned British tourists and second-home owners they are not entitled to spend more than 90 days in the country due to Brexit and will need to return to the UK by today if they did not have the right status. Britons arriving at Alicante-Elche airport earlier this week were refused entry into Spain, before being sent back to Manchester on the same plane. Stuart Miller, a 47-year-old from Manchester, shared his fury at being turned away. He told Olive Press: "People with letters from Alicante Foreigners Office asking them to collect their residency cards were turned away...what more proof do you need of residency?" A spokesman for the British embassy in Madrid said: "When making plans to travel from the UK to Spain, a UK national must make sure that they meet both the requirements to leave the UK and those to enter Spain, bearing in mind that they are not the same. "From March 31, entry to Spain will only be granted to those passengers who can demonstrate that their journey is essential, as well as those who are already legally resident in Spain. "Ultimately, the decision on whether to grant entry into Spain is made by Spanish border officials."