Restaurant owner "shocked" by immigration raid in Flackwell Heath

10:59am Sunday 21st February 2010

By Lawrence Dunhill

A BANGLADESHI restaurant owner arrived at work expecting a normal Friday night but was “shocked” to find four of his staff were missing after a raid by immigration officials.

Six men were arrested at Radhuni in Flackwell Heath on February 12. Four have since been bailed but one man has been deported by the UK Border Agency, while another remains in custody 'pending removal'.

Akthoraz Miah, the owner of the restaurant on Straight Bit, managed to keep it open that evening after making some urgent calls to get extra staff in.

The 39-year-old told the Bucks Free Press: “They [the immigration officials] could have at least given me some warning about it - this has come as a big shock to me.

“They suddenly turned up and I didn't know anything about it. I was out during the day and only found out when I got to the restaurant in the evening. “I've got some of the guys back but I've had to hire two new staff members.”

Mr Miah, who took over the restaurant six years ago, is keen that villagers know it is still open.

He said: “A lot of customers have come in and said they thought we had closed down but we are still open for business.”

The restaurant has been served with notice of potential liability for employing people who had no right to work.

It could face a fine of up to £70,000 unless it can prove the correct right-to-work checks have been carried out on their employees.

Mr Miah said many of his staff are students, whose visas can become invalid if their college is closed down. He said it is 'not his problem' if a college had been shut down. He said he had heard of one closing in London recently.

The Bucks Free Press spoke to a 29-year-old man who said he was one of the men arrested and bailed.

He said he had a visa to work in Britain and added: “It was very scary and I was totally shocked. I haven't got a clue what's going to happen now – they've asked me to go back [to the station] on February 23.

Five men were also arrested at the Blowplast factory in Hillbottom Road, High Wycombe, on February 11 and have since been bailed.

Officers from the UK Border Agency swooped following intelligence suggesting a number of people were working there illegally.

Alex Legg, chief immigration officer for the Agency, said two of those arrested were from India and the other three were from Sri Lanka. They range in age from 26 to 53.