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Illegal staff found at restaurant
AN AMBERGATE restaurant is facing fines of up to £30,000 after it was caught employing illegal workers.
Two men and a woman, who are all Chinese nationals, were discovered working at the Memory of China restaurant during a visit by officers from the UK Border Agency last week.
The Matlock Road venue was issued with an on-the-spot penalty and owners are now waiting to see if they will face fines of up to 10,000 per illegal worker.
Officers from the government-run border agency targeted the restaurant on Friday, February 19, after receiving intelligence that the site was wrongly employing foreign workers.
Inspectors sealed off exits at the building before quizzing employees and checking identity documents.
Checks revealed that a 27-year-old woman, who was employed in a front-of-house role, had overstayed her student visa. A 45-year-old man was discovered to have entered the country illegally, and a 31-year-old man was found to be a failed asylum seeker.
Phil Dyer, UK Border Agency regional director, said: "Every month many businesses in Derbyshire are paid a visit as we continue to pull the plug on the illegal jobs which lure illegal immigrants to come to the UK.
"We have caught dozens of illegal workers in the county over the last few months and have fined companies tens of thousands of pounds for hiring illegal labour.
"Illegal working is unfair on honest employers who recruit staff with the right to work in the UK and who pay them a proper salary.
"We will continue to support those companies who seek to comply with the law. But bosses who don't play by the rules face on the spot fines and could potentially end up in jail."
The border agency brought in a new civil penalty system last year in a bid to provide a quick way of tackling bosses who fail to carry out proper checks on workers who come from countries outside of the European Union.
Information for employers looking to prevent illegal workers entering their business should call the UK Border Agency Employers Helpline on 0300 123 4699 or visit www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/employingmigrants.
The agency is also urging people who suspect illegal workers are being employed in the county to contact its local immigration team on 01332 442100.
The manager at The Memory of China declined to comment.
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Wednesday 08 February 2012
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