Four staff members at an Indian restaurant have been arrested following an immigration raid by the Home Office.

Immigration officers raided Omar’s Tandoori in The Street in Hatfield Peverel on Monday evening and discovered four people who were illegal immigrants from Bangladesh.

Two men, aged 28 and 21, had overstayed their visas and another two men, aged 35 and 29, had entered the UK illegally.

The 28-year-old and 21-year-old have been detained and the others have been released on immigration bail while officers work on removing them from the UK.

The business now faces a potential fine of up to £20,000 for each of the illegal workers - a total penalty of £80,000.

To avoid a civil penalty, the owners must show that appropriate pre-employment checks were carried out, such as seeing a passport or Home Office document.

Lee Clarke, from the Home Office Immigration Enforcement, said: “Operations like these are carried out across the UK every day as our work to arrest, detain and remove immigration offenders from the UK continues.

“Employers who use illegal labour are cheating the taxpayer, undercutting genuine employers and denying legitimate job hunters work. Those who wilfully flout the rules will face heavy financial penalties.

“I would urge anyone with detailed and specific information about suspected immigration abuse to get in touch.”

Employers unsure of the steps they need to take to avoid employing illegal workers can call the Employers Helpline on 0300 123 4699.

Anyone with information about suspected immigration abuse can call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.