FOUR men have been arrested by immigration officers for working at a Hereford restaurant.

Acting on intelligence, officers visited Nine and Nine, on Widemarsh Street, at around 6pm on Saturday November 8 when staff were questioned to check if they had the right to live and work in the UK.

Officers arrested four men from Bangladesh aged 25, 28, 35 and 40.

Three of the men were detained while steps are taken to remove them from the UK and the 25-year-old was ordered to report regularly to the Home Office while his case progresses.

The business was served a notice, warning that a civil penalty of up to £20,000 per illegal worker arrested will be imposed unless the employer can demonstrate that the appropriate right to work document checks were carried out.

That could include seeing a passport or Home Office document. If proof is not provided, the business could pay out a potential total of up to £80,000.

The operation was supported by officers from Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service and Herefordshire Council’s Environmental Health and Trading Standards. Both partner agencies carried out their own checks on the premises.

Claire Portlock, acting assistant director at West Midlands Home Office Immigration Enforcement, said: “This is a warning to businesses either deliberately employing people with no right to work or failing to carry out the legally required checks on their staff. We will catch up with you and you should expect to face heavy financial penalties.

“Illegal working is not victimless. It cheats legitimate job seekers out of employment opportunities.

“I would urge members of the public with information about suspected immigration abuse to get in touch.”

Anyone with information about suspected immigration abuse can visit gov.uk/report-immigration-crime or call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.