Four people have been found working illegally in restaurants in Medway by immigration officers during raids on businesses across the Towns.

The illegal workers were caught working following raids at eateries in Strood and Gillingham on Friday, May 3, but details have only just been revealed by the Home Office’s Immigration and Border staff.

Acting on tip-offs, immigration officers visited the Wimpy restaurant in Strood High Street.

They checked the immigration status of the staff there and found a man from Uzbekistan, aged 30, who had not left the UK when his visa expired, working illegally.

He was arrested and is currently being held in an immigration detention centre.

Officers also encountered a man from Bulgaria who was working illegally, he was stopped from working and given a fixed penalty notice of £1,000.

When officers paid a visit to the Twydall Tandoori restaurant, Twydall Green, Gillingham, they found two Bangladeshi men working illegally.

Checks showed one, aged 30, had not left the UK when his visa expired, the other, 24, was working in breach of his visa conditions.

Both were arrested, and along with the Uzbekistani man, remain in detention while steps are taken by the Home Office to remove them from the UK.

Jackie Fowler, from the immigration enforcement team in Kent, said: “We are determined to stamp out abuse of the immigration system.

“We want the public to contact us if they have any information on businesses or people who are breaking immigration law.

“Employers who take on illegal workers are both fuelling illegal immigration and undercutting businesses which play by the rules.”

Both businesses have been handed penalty notices for employing illegal workers.

To avoid fines of up to £10,000 per employee evidence must be provided that the correct pre-employment checks were made on the men - such as seeing a passport or Home Office document.

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

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

If you think someone is working illegally at a business in Medway, call Crimestoppers on 0800 555111 anonymously or visit www.crimestoppers-uk.org