A RESTAURANT in Great Bentley faces a fine of up to £50,000 after employing five alleged illegal immigrants.

The UK Border Agency arrested two Chinese women, a Malaysian woman and two Malaysian men following a raid at The Thai Flag restaurant in Flag Hill, on the B1027.

The restaurant, formerly The Flag public house, was targeted as part of an intelligence-led operation.

It resulted in the five alleged illegal immigrants, who the agency said had no permission to work in the UK, being arrested at 5.30pm on Friday.

The agency alleged the two 19-year-old Chinese women were failed asylum seekers, and that a 31-year-old Malaysian woman, a 22-year-old Malaysian man and a 41-year-old Malaysian man had all overstayed their visas.

The Thai Flag now faces a fine unless it can prove the correct pre-employment checks were carried out.

Restaurant manager William Ng said: “At the moment we are still waiting to sort things out.

“But we believe we have the correct documentation and when they came to work I saw their documents.

“I believe they have permission to work in the UK, which is why I employed them.”

Mr Ng, who is originally from Hong Kong but has lived in the UK for 38 years, said the restaurant has only been open 14 weeks.

The UK Border Agency said a fine of up to £10,000 per worker can be imposed for every illegal worker found at a business.

Chief immigration officer Jack Davis said: “Those who use and exploit illegal workers face severe financial penalties.

“We are happy to work with businesses to ensure the right pre-employment checks are carried out, but those intent on operating outside the law should be warned that they will be found and they will be punished.

“Employers who don’t play by the rules will get struck off our register, lose the right to recruit staff from outside Europe, face on the spot fines and could potentially end up in jail.”

The agency said a tough new civil penalty system was brought in last year to provide a fast and effective way of tackling bosses who fail to carry out proper checks on workers from outside Europe.

• Anyone who suspects that illegal workers are being employed in Essex should contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.