Nine workers held in raid on restaurant

The waiters and kitchen staff were working illegally at the China Royal in Queensway.

Steps are now being taken to remove them from the country. The arrests forced the restaurant to close for the night. It re-opened the next day by bringing in family members.

The restaurant confirmed it was business as usual but no one was prepared to comment about the raid. Officers from the Border and Immigration Agency arrived at the premises at 5pm last Thursday, January 10.

They sealed all the exits to make sure no-one escaped. No customers were present at the time. Questioning of the manager, waiters and kitchen staff led to the arrests. All nine individuals were believed to have used forged ID to get work.

Eight are failed asylum seekers. This means neither the Border and Immigration Agency, nor an independent court, considered they needed protection under international law. They went missing and started working illegally rather than leave the country.

Three of the nine had been working as waiters. The rest were in the kitchen.

Border and Immigration Agency regional director Tony Smith said: "Illegal working is unfair on honest employers who recruit staff with the right to work in the UK and who pay them a proper salary."