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- By Scott Ellis
- BBC Points West
Two employees were arrested and the owner owes £100,000 in fines for employing staff illegally
Immigration officials closed an Indian restaurant for 24 hours, after finding staff working there illegally.
It is the third time in 15 months the Nailsea venue Posh Spice was raided by the immigration team.
Two employees were arrested and the owner owes £100,000 in fines for employing staff illegally following previous raids.
The Home Office has tripled fines and increased raids on businesses in the UK.
One man was arrested on suspicion of breaching bail and was asked to leave the UK, the Home Office confirmed.
Immigration Enforcement will carry out further checks on a second man’s employer to ascertain whether he was complying with his visa, it said, adding that he had been subsequently de-arrested.
Chief Immigration Officer Aimee Langston said two arrests were made after several men attempted to evade officers
Officials entered the premises at 18:00 BST on Wednesday evening.
Chief Immigration Officer Aimee Langston said: “As we entered, we saw several males attempting to evade immigration officers, so two arrests were made.”
She said two of them were believed to have “no current right to work”.
“On that basis we have served the closure notice on the business,” she added.
Richard Johnson of Immigration Enforcement said that illegal working was a “key priority” for them
The closure will run for 24 hours and the owner will be encouraged to work with officials to ensure all staff are employed legally.
Immigration Enforcement will visit Posh Spice every month for six months to check they are compliant.
Enforcement visits in the Wales and West of England are at their highest since 2019, up 50% on last year, according to the Home Office, with 220 restaurants and takeaways visited.
Fines have also been tripled this year, from £15,000 to £45,000 per illegal employee.
“Illegal working is a key priority for us,” said assistant director Richard Johnson of Immigration Enforcement, responsible for enforcing immigration law across the UK.
“Businesses like this are exploiting vulnerable people, they’re not paying taxes, and they’re undercutting legitimate businesses.”
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