Restaurant forced to close as staff are arrested

20th January 2010, 11:26am

A Peterhead restaurant could face a heavy fine for employing three illegal workers after an operation by Grampian police and our officers on the evening of Tuesday 12th January 2010.

Acting on intelligence, the team visited the Shining Pearl restaurant in Marischal Street.

After checking the documents of all staff, three Chinese men were found to be working illegally. One man was arrested by police on an outstanding warrant, while the other two men were arrested for immigration offences. The restaurant was closed as there were no staff left to operate it.

The business was served with a notice of potential liability for employing the illegal workers. If the employers are unable to provide evidence that legally-required checks were carried out before giving the workers jobs, they will face a fine of up to £30,000.

Phil Taylor, regional director for the UK Border Agency in the Scotland and Northern Ireland, said: "Our officers work increasingly closely with police colleagues and other law enforcement agencies to crack down on immigration crime in our communities. Along with our regular operations at businesses to take action against those employers who illegally employ overseas workers, we work to ensure that action is taken against those who have come to our country and broken the rules.

"We're working hard to clamp down on illegal working in Grampian to reduce the attractiveness of the UK to illegal immigrants. Anyone who takes on a foreign national without permission to work in the UK is breaking the law, undermining law abiding businesses and faces a big fine. 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."

Related Articles:

• 21 Apr 2010 - How to avoid illegal workers and penalties

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