THREE illegal immigrants have been discovered working in a Chinese takeaway in the North-East.

Home Office Immigration Enforcement officers caught three men from China during an operation in the Stanley area of County Durham.

Acting on intelligence, officers visited Kings Fayre takeaway on Mulberry Terrace, on Thursday evening. (October 22)

Staff were questioned to establish their immigration status.

Two men, aged 34 and 35, and a 38-year-old woman, were found to be in the country illegally.

All three were arrested and are now detained pending their removal from the UK.

Kings Fayre will now be served a notice warning that financial penalties of up to £20,000 per illegal worker arrested will be imposed unless the employer can demonstrate that appropriate right to work document checks were carried out, such as seeing a passport or Home Office document.

If proof is not provided, this is a potential total of up to £60,000.

Phillippa Russell, from the North-East and Cumbria Home Office Immigration Enforcement team, said: “People in the North East who are in the UK illegally face arrest, detention and removal from the country.

“Illegal working defrauds the taxpayer, undercuts honest businesses and cheats legitimate job seekers out of employment opportunities.

“Our specialist teams carry out operations like this on a regular basis. We rely on information from the public and I would urge people to report suspected immigration abuse to us.”

The Northern Echo contacted Kings Fayre for a comment, but an answer machine message said the takeway was currently closed for ‘kitchen improvements.’

Measures included in the Immigration Bill currently progressing through Parliament are designed to make it easier to prosecute employers using illegal labour.

They will increase the maximum prison sentence for doing so to five years and also close down businesses which continue to flout the rules.

Those who work illegally will themselves be committing a criminal offence and face the prospect of having their earnings seized, and we will also continue to seek to remove from the UK anyone who does not have the right to be here.

Employers with questions about checking a job applicant’s right to work in the UK can call for advice on 0300 123 4699.