Two illegal Chinese workers seized at restaurant swoop

TWO Chinese illegal workers have been arrested at a restaurant in Roche following an operation by the UK Border Agency.

A team of immigration officers surrounded Jade Palace, in Victoria Road, on Thursday and checked the documents of staff.

The Jade Palace Chinese takeaway in Roche.

Two men aged 29 and 34, who were found working in the kitchen, were arrested after checks revealed they had entered the UK illegally.

The pair were taken to Newquay police station for further questioning.

The UK Border Agency is taking steps to remove the 29-year-old from the UK as soon as possible, while the older man's immigration status is under consideration.

The operation was carried out after the UK Border Agency received intelligence that illegal migrant workers were employed at the business.

Jane Farleigh, regional director of the UK Border Agency in Wales and the South West said: "We carry out frequent operations across Cornwall based on solid intelligence of illegal working and cases such as this show we are achieving good results. Where we find that people have no legal right to live or work in the UK my teams will arrest them and look to remove them from the country. Illegal working hurts law-abiding businesses, undercuts legal workers and creates illegal profits."

Nobody from Jade Palace was available to comment.

The operation in Roche comes at a time of massive reform to the UK's immigration system.

The Government recently introduced an Australian-style points-based system for managing migration, ensuring only those with the skills the UK needs are allowed to work.

ID cards for foreign nationals will be issued from November 2008.

Civil penalties for businesses who fail to carry out proper checks when employing migrant workers from outside Europe were introduced by the Government on February 29, allowing substantial fines to be handed to offending employers. The UK Border Agency has recently started naming on its website employers who have been fined under the new rules.

Anyone who suspects that illegal workers are being employed at a business in the South West can contact the UK Border Agency on 01752 275161.