Illegal migrants found to be working at Swindon restaurant (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)

Illegal migrants found to be working at Swindon restaurant

10:15am Monday 14th January 2008 in Swindon By Sarah Hilley

ILLEGAL immigrants from Malaysia and China have been arrested for working in a Swindon restaurant.

Immigration officers surrounded Le Rendezvous in Haydon Street at 6pm on Thursday.

After checking staff documents, six men were taken to Gablecross police station for questioning.

They are now detained at an immigration holding centre pending deportation.

Four of the men to be sent home are Malaysian and are aged in their 20s and 30s.

A 44-year-old Malaysian man was also arrested, as was a 24-year-old Chinese man.

The men had been carrying out different jobs in the restaurant, including serving customers and working in the kitchen.

Inspector Paul Hawkins, from Swindon police, who assisted in the swoop, said some of the arrested men tried to escape without success.

He said: "There is a concerning increase in the number of people entering the country illegally.

"And Swindon is a prime spot because of the M4 service stations, which are a first stop for lorry drivers coming from the docks.

"There are a large number of immigrants found wandering on the M4 motorway and discovered in the back of lorries in this area."

The Chinese restaurant has been given a formal warning over employing illegal workers and may face future visits from immigration officers with possible prosecution if other illegal workers are found there.

Le Rendezvous owner Alan Mok said he did not know the men were illegal immigrants.

"They had fake IDs and we thought they were legitimate," he said.

"I didn't realise they had no papers. They had Portuguese passports.

"We are a new restaurant and trial staff."

Jane Farleigh, the Border and Immigration Agency's southwest director, said that stopping illegal working was a priority.

"This operation shows that we will target illegal workers and the businesses which employ them.

"Not only do these jobs provide a pull factor for illegal immigrants, but they can lead to major abuses of the immigrants themselves, and see genuine businesses being undercut by rule-breaking companies.

"To combat illegal immigration, it is not enough to stop illegal journeys.

"We have to close down the illegal jobs that tempt people to come to the UK.

"We have very strict rules about working in the UK - if you don't meet the requirements, you can't get a job."

Under new civil laws, employers that hire illegal workers could face a fine of £10,000 for every unauthorised worker.

An Australian-style points system for immigrants is due to be introduced this year.