Story by: ELAINE KING THREE illegal immigrants were found working at an Indian restaurant in Wisbech during a raid by the UK Border Agency. The Moghul Restaurant in North Street was issued with a penalty notice warning them they could face fines of up to

Story by: ELAINE KING

THREE illegal immigrants were found working at an Indian restaurant in Wisbech during a raid by the UK Border Agency.

The Moghul Restaurant in North Street was issued with a penalty notice warning them they could face fines of up to �30,000 unless they can prove the workers had the right to work in this country.

"Illegal working is unfair to honest employers who recruit staff with the right to work in the UK and who pay them a proper salary," said Gail Adams, the agency's regional director.

"We are working hard to pull the plug on the illegal jobs which lure illegal immigrants to come to the UK in the first place.

"Employers who don't play by the rules will get struck off our register, lose the right to recruit staff from outside Europe, face on-the-spot fines and could potentially end up in jail."

Exits were sealed off during the raid on the Moghul Restaurant last Thursday which discovered the three Bangladeshi men. Two, aged 39 and 60, had overstayed their visas, and a 28-year-old asylum seeker should not have been working.

The restaurant manager, called Bobby, said all three men had been at the restaurant for only a matter of days, and he did not consider they were employed because he had not paid them.

"I will be defending this," he said. "I took them on trust. They were here on a trial basis; I didn't consider they were working. I was going to check their paperwork within a few days."

He said all three men had been staying in staff accommodation but had since left the premises.

The UK Border Agency said the asylum seeker's claim will be investigated.

The other two illegal workers must report regularly to the police until emergency passports can be obtained so they can be removed from the country.