Illegal immigrant hid on roof of Frinton curry house (From Gazette)

Illegal immigrant hid on roof of Frinton curry house

3:00pm Thursday 24th December 2009 in News By Chris Wilkin

AN illegal immigrant was found shivering on the roof of a curry house as he tried to hide from immigration officers.

The 33-year-old man was one of three Bangladeshi illegal immigrants found when the Last Viceroy of British India restaurant, in Connaught Avenue, Frinton, was raided earlier this month.

Details of the operation have just been released by the UK Border Agency, which also confirmed the man had been deported.

Insp Cheryl Daldry, from the agency, said: “When officers entered the premises, we could hear instructions being shouted upstairs for people in the accommodation above the restaurant to make some kind of escape.

“One man was found shivering on the roof, while another had locked himself in an upstairs room, so we had to make a forced entry.”

The agency said both men had outstayed their visas and no longer had permission to be in the UK.

Checks revealed a third man, aged 24, who was working in the restaurant, was also there illegally and further deportation orders are now being arranged.

The restaurant could face a fine of as much as £10,000 if it fails to prove it carried out adequate checks on the man who was working there.

The arrests coincide with a major publicity campaign warning employers of the penalties they face if caught employing illegal immigrants.

Insp Daldry added: “There is no excuse for an employer failing to check the identity of those applying for jobs. There are simple and straightforward ways of checking a foreign national’s right to work in the UK.

“We support and encourage employers to comply with the rules and those who fail to do so can expect to get caught.”

A tough new penalty system was brought in last year to tackle bosses who fail to check up on would-be workers from outside Europe.

So far this year, 15 businesses in Essex have been fined a total of £130,000.

The owner of the Last Viceroy of British India declined to comment.