Restaurant facing £40,000 fine after illegal workers found by Border Agency

AN Indian restaurant is facing a potential fine of £40,000 after it was found to be employing four illegal workers from Bangladesh following a UK Border Agency operation.

Officers from the UK Border Agency visited the Dunbar Indian Tandoori in the High Street at 5.30pm on Friday night.

After the immigration status of staff was checked, four Bangladeshi men were found working illegally at the restaurant. One of the men had overstayed his visa and is in detention, pending his removal from the UK.

The second man must report regularly to a police station while arrangements are made for his removal, while the remaining two men have outstanding immigration cases which will be concluded.

None of the men have the right to work in the UK, and the Dunbar Indian Tandoori now faces potential fines of up to £40,000.

The business was served with a civil penalty notice for employing the illegal workers. If the employers are unable to provide evidence that legally required checks were carried out before giving the workers a job – such as asking for a passport or a Home Office document – a fine of up to £10,000 per illegal worker will be imposed.

Adam Scarcliffe, Assistant Director of the UK Border Agency in Scotland said: “Foreign nationals who are in this country illegally should be in no doubt that they will be found, arrested and removed from the UK.

“Employing illegal workers undercuts honest businesses and defrauds the public purse. There is no excuse for using illegal labour, and if businesses ignore our immigration laws, they face heavy fines.”

Anyone who suspects that illegal workers are being employed at a business can report this on the UK Border Agency website http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/aboutus/contact/report-crime/ or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.