13 arrested in Border Agency raids

Five of them had entered the country illegally, and two had overstayed their visas.

As a result, six of the seven are currently in detention waiting to be deported, while a 34 year-old Chinese man will stay, but must regularly report to the agency.

Just a few days later, on Monday (12), officers arrested six more illegal workers at the Maroush Express Restaurant in Edgware Road.

Two Brazilian men aged 22 and 34, a 28 year-old Georgian woman and a 33 year-old Syrian man were arrested for overstaying their visas, while a 32 year-old Brazilian man and a 29 year-old Egyptian man were found to have entered the country illegally.

All six are being detained by the UK Border agency, and are awaiting deportation.

The owners of the restaurants could now face a fine of up to £10,000 for each illegal worker, unless they can prove that the correct right-to-work checks were carried out.

Marie Babaoglu, head of the UK Border Agency North Central London immigration team, said: "Our officers carry out hundreds of operations like this across London every year, and where we find people who are in the UK illegally, we will seek to remove them.

"But we are also looking to take action against those who employ illegal workers.

"We're happy to work with businesses to let them know what checks need to be done on staff, but those who choose to break the law should know that we are out there looking for them and they will face heavy fines."

For more information on the steps to take to avoid employing illegal workers, visit www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk or call 0300 123 4699.