Laindon restaurant raids lead to five employee arrests

12th October 2009, 12:26pm

Two Laindon restaurants could face substantial fines after being caught employing illegal workers.

Both the Akash Tandoori restaurant in the Laindon Centre and the Zara Takeaway in High Road were visited on Friday 2nd October by officers from the UK Border Agency.

Checks revealed three members of staff a 29-year-old man, a 31-year-old man and a 28-year-old man at Akash were in the United Kingdom illegally and did not have permission to work. All were from Bangladesh and had overstayed their visas.

At Zara two members of staff a 42-year-old man and a 29-year-old man were found to be living and working illegally in the United Kingdom. Both men were from Bangladesh and had overstayed their visas. Two other men a 31-year-old and a 45-year-old were found to have outstanding applications to remain in the United Kingdom, but no permission to work.

Arrangements are being made for all five to be removed from the UK.

Akash now faces a potential fine of £30,000 and Zara a potential fine of £40,000 - £10,000 per employee unless the businesses can prove that the correct pre-employment checks were carried out.

Chief Immigration Officer Jon Greenbank said: "As long as there are illegal jobs, the United Kingdom will be an attractive place for illegal immigrants. That's why we have to put a stop to employers who don't play by the rules.

"The majority of employers are law-abiding, but to tackle those who fail to carry out the necessary checks on ID documents, we've introduced fines of up to £10,000 per illegal worker. In cases where employers are found to be employing illegal workers, we often find they are also undercutting the minimum wage and by-passing health and safety laws."

Guidance for employers on preventing illegal working can be found on the UK Border Agency website, www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/employer or by calling the UK Border Agency Employers Helpline on 0300 123 4699.

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