Noodle bar restaurant caught employing five illegal workers

5th November 2009, 1:47pm

A Cambridge noodle bar is facing a potential £50,000 fine after it was caught employing five illegal workers.

The Yippee Noodle Bar in King Street was visited by UK Border Agency officers shortly after 5pm on the 3rd November 2009.

Staff checks revealed that five of the restaurant's chefs were in the United Kingdom illegally and did not have permission to work.

Of the five men, three were failed asylum seekers and two were illegal entrants. All five were Chinese.

The 23-year-old was arrested on suspicion of ID offences and has been remanded in custody. Steps are being taken to remove the remainder from the country.

The restaurant now faces a potential fine of up to £50,000 unless it can prove that the correct pre-employment checks were carried out.

Immigration Officer Sarah Norton, who was in charge of the intelligence-led operation, said: "We are happy to provide guidance to businesses on the laws around migrant labour and preventing the hiring of illegal workers. Employers have a legal duty to ensure all their staff are entitled to work in the UK. Where businesses refuse to play by the rules, they can expect to get caught and to get punished."

Related Articles:

• 21 Apr 2010 - How to avoid illegal workers and penalties
• 24 Nov 2009 - Restaurants must wait another two weeks before recruiting migrant chefs

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Neeraj Sharma

06 November 2009 at 7:22am

In my one year of stay in an East London suburb, I noticed several underground workers working in restaurants (Indian Restaurants in particular). I was curious to know, how they feel about Britain and what makes them to come to Britain by illicit means. Most of them came as students and are still students in some bogus colleges which, they hardly ever attend. They harldy have any interest in knowing old British values but are ready to abuse the system on every single opportunity, available to them. I was overwhelmingly impressed with old British way of life. One year's stay in London, made me to look for options somewhere else. I feel sorry for Britain.

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