FIVE people face being deported after a raid on an Amersham restaurant by Immigration officials.

The UK Border Agency swooped on the Blue Orchid restaurant in Sycamore Road and discovered three Bangladeshi men were working there after the visas had expired.

The men, aged 30, 31 and 36, were all arrested after being questioned and have been detained pending their removal from the UK.

Two more Bangladeshi nationals - a 40-year-old man and a 21-year-old woman - who were found by officials in a flat above the restaurant are also currently in dentention.

Officials also arrested a 63-year-old woman, who has been granted immigration bail. She must report to the UK Border Agency while her case is dealt with.

The Blue Orchid was raided at around 12.30pm on Monday February 20, with staff being questioned is they had the right to work in the UK.

Following the arrests the restaurant could be fined a maximum of £30,000 – up to £10,000 per illegal worker – unless proof is provided that the correct right-to-work checks were carried out.

Assistant director Rob Scott, who heads the UK Border Agency’s Buckinghamshire Local Immigration team, said: "We carry out hundreds of operations like this every year across the Thames Valley, and where we find people who are in the UK illegally we will seek to remove them.

"But we are also looking to target the employers who take on illegal workers and fuel illegal immigration.

"Those who fail to carry out the legally-required checks on staff and choose to break the law should know that we are out there looking for them and they will face heavy fines."

Employers unsure of the steps they need to take to avoid employing illegal workers can visit www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/advice-for-employers or they can call the UK Border Agency’s Employers Helpline on 0300 123 4699.

For more information and contact details for the Buckinghamshire Local Immigration Team go to www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/aboutus/your-region/london-se/local-immigration-teams.