THREE illegal workers from Bangladesh have been arrested by the UK Border Agency in a raid on a Beccles restaurant.

Officers from the Local Immigration Team for Suffolk and North-East Essex carried out an intelligence-led visit to the Bombay Restaurant in Exchange Square on Thursday evening.

Checks revealed that three members of staff had overstayed their visas and had no permission to be in the UK.

All three men - a 20-year-old waiter and kitchen staff aged 28 and 23 – were taken to Great Yarmouth Police Investigation Centre for interview and will be transferred into UK Border Agency detention while work to remove them from the country is carried out.

The Bombay Restaurant also faces a potential fine of up to �30,000 - �10,000 per illegal worker – unless it can prove that the appropriate pre-employment checks were carried out, such as seeing a passport or Home Office document.

UK Border Agency Officer Jack Davis said: 'Where we find people who are in the UK illegally we will seek to remove them.

'But we are also looking to target the employers who take on illegal workers and encourage illegal immigration in the process.

'We're happy to work with businesses to let them know what checks need to be done on staff, but those who choose to break the law should know that we are looking for them and they will face heavy fines.'

Every year, the UK Border Agency imposes civil penalties on hundreds of companies which fail to carry out legally-required checks on their staff.

The agency provides support to employers so they can understand the rules, including visits by staff, a dedicated telephone helpline and website.

Anyone who has information on suspected immigration offenders can visit http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/aboutus/contact/report-crime/.