Six illegal workers have been caught in Hereford by the UK Border Agency as part of an ongoing campaign to crack down on rogue employers.
Officers swooped on the city’s Taste of Raj restaurant in St Owen Street at 5.55pm on Thursday, November 12. The specialist team sealed all exits before checking the immigration status of the workers.
Six Bangladeshi nationals, all males, were arrested after officers confirmed that they had no legal right to work in the UK.
The business was issued with an on-the-spot penalty notice for employing illegal workers and may now face a fine of up to £60,000.
Gail Adams, UK Border Agency Regional Director, said: “These arrests are part of an ongoing clampdown on illegal working.
“We are determined to pull the plug on the illegal jobs which lure illegal immigrants to come to the UK.
“Anyone in Herefordshire who takes on a foreign national without permission to work in the UK is breaking the law and undermining law-abiding businesses. Rogue employers should be warned that they face heavy fines and could even end up in jail.
“There are strict rules about which foreign nationals can get a job in the UK and businesses have a clear responsibility to carry out the right checks.”
The immigration raid in Hereford coincides with a large-scale advertising campaign warning bosses of the heavy fines if they are caught employing illegal foreign labour.
A tough new civil penalty system was brought in last year to provide a fast and effective way of tackling bosses who fail to carry out proper checks on workers from outside Europe.
A fine of up to £10,000 per worker can be imposed for every illegal worker found at a business.
Anyone who suspects that illegal workers are being employed in Herefordshire should contact the confidential Crimestoppers line on 0800 555 111.